#RunJumpFlyATL at the Children's Museum of Atlanta

Atlanta's weather has been cold and wet to say the least. And not the fluffy white fun kind of cold and wet. More like the brown soggy never ending kind of wet. Fortunately we live in a city that is chock full of fun indoor things for families to enjoy. The Children's Museum of Atlanta always tops my kids list. A few weekends ago we decked ourselves out in our finest cold rainy weather essentials and made our way to the new Run! Jump! Fly! Adventures in Action exhibit that opened on January 19th. 

We've been coming to the Children's Museum for years, and I love when they bring in these traveling exhibits because my children can interact and learn something new as well as enjoy their favorite museum staples. 

Run! Jump! Fly! promotes learning through movement by introducing kids to new activities such as Kung Fu, yoga, surfing, snowboarding, and rock climbing. 

Kids are able to keep track of their progress and even train in a specialized center to see if they have what it takes to be an action star. 

Run! Jump! Play! Might be one of our favorite exhibits yet! The kids had a blast at each center and didn't want to leave. 

They loved the hands-on (and foot. and total body.) interaction. Just what those tiny little bodies needed after being cooped up on a rainy cold day! 

I think one of their favorite parts of the exhibits was the snowboard and surfing simulator designed to let kids experience different forms of balance. There were even two types of boards so that the kids could check out a slightly more advanced boarding experience. L.C. told us she's ready to test out her skills on the "real" mountain.

The kids had so much fun. Whether we have rain, snow, or sun in our future I know we'll be back to check out the exhibit another time or two before it makes its way out of Atlanta on May 27th.

To learn more about the Children's Museum of Atlanta, purchase tickets to Run! Jump! Fly!, or what else the museum has to offer visit here.  

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How to Choose the BEST Georgia Child Care Program

This post is sponsored by Everywhere Agency on behalf of GEEARS: Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students. However, all thoughts are my own.

In those first stages of parenthood you rarely think of the all the millions of decisions you will have to make once your new bundle of joy arrives. Your thoughts are a swirl of nursery decor, birth plans, and sleep schedules. I never realized how many decisions I would have to make each and every day regarding my children. From as simple as what to feed them for breakfast to as large as where to send them for child care. As I was snuggling my tiny little babies I never would have thought how much time and effort I would put into this decision. It’s almost daunting. And shocking how much of a process it is even on a preschool level. I think it rivals the collegiate process…or quite possibly supersedes it. 

Carrie Beth and I both left careers once we became new moms. There were a variety of factors that went into the decisions, but ultimately it was for the same reason. We wanted to stay at home with our children and soak up all those tiny moments that seem to be gone in warp speed. Our husbands’ careers were taking off, and their travel schedules some weeks are brutal. We had several friends in the same situation and heard the tales of looking for a daycare, a nanny, or a variety of other childcare options. The process seemed overwhelming, not to mention the astronomical costs for some options. 

School and childcare decisions didn’t really come into play for us until preschool.

Now that a new year has arrived, January typically means it’s time to buckle down and get ready for the process to start all over again to plan for the following school year. We’re old pros at this now, but if you’re new to this world we wish you the best of luck and may the odds be ever in your favor! 

Just kidding - we want to help! And we have found an amazing solution when it comes to finding the very best child care options in Georgia! 

We’ve stumbled upon the statewide, free search tool called Quality Rated Child Care, and we wish we had found it years ago! We love that it is such a helpful tool for parents to find the best childcare for their needs. Through the Quality Rated site you can organize licensed child care options by price, services, and Quality Rated star ratings. There is even a “search along a route” tool to help find the best programs along your commuting route! In Atlanta traffic, that is a HUGE help. 

We also love how Quality Rated’s tool lists all licensed and license-exempt child care providers in Georgia. In home license exempt facilities are becoming more common because of their quainter size and including these as an option gives you a comprehensive review of all the child care options available to you. 

Having qualified early childhood education experts rate the child care programs in an area and share that information is so helpful. We also love the peace of mind it brings that we can continuously check through Quality Rated on credentials as well as what they are doing to improve their facilities and educational programs. 

Quality Rated also has an amazing Child Care Checklist that we wish we had on hand years ago! It helps outline all the important questions you need take into consideration when looking at child care options, like:

• Are there enough staff members to give attention to all the children attending the facility? 
• What is the process for when a child becomes ill? 
• What are the safety procedures? 
• Does each classroom follow daily lesson plans?
• What education do the staff themselves receive? 
• How will I hear about my child’s day? 
• How are snack time and lunchtime handled? 
• How are allergies considered? 
• Is before and after care available? If so, what are the costs?

You get the idea - Quality Rated has thought of everything a Georgia parent needs to help choose the absolute best child care option for their child. At the end of the day, handing over your child over to other adults for care can be nerve wrecking, and we all want the reassurance that we have made the best decision possible for our child and their well being.  We love that Quality Rated has created tools to help parents ease into that phase of parenthood. 

Is your child’s child care Quality Rated? Click here to use the tool and find out!

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Easy Healthy Eating with Whole Foods Market 365

Thank you Whole Foods Market 365 for sponsoring this post.  All thoughts, ideas and opinions are our own. 

We've almost made it to the end of January and we are happy to report that our New Year's healthy living goals are still going strong. We've coming close to our goal of moving every day, eating better, and drinking lots of water (to go along with our wine)! ;-)

We love when stores make it easy for busy moms like us. We were recently introduced to the new Whole Foods Market 365 and absolutely love the concept!

It's an evolution of Whole Foods Market that everyone knows and loves.  They still focus on the same quality and great customer service, but in an easy shopping experience where you can get in and out quickly while still finding everything on your list. Another bonus is that Whole Foods Market 365 has  great items at lower prices!

The store layout is open and easy to navigate making shopping a breeze and actually enjoyable. From fresh produce to bakery items, they have it all.  Our very favorite thing they offer are all of their pre-made meals and snack options.

Neither of us really love to cook and more importantly, with three kids busy with sports it is rare that we have a free night at home to prepare a healthy meal for our families.  Options like soup kits and pre-made pasta dishes helps us to get dinner on the table without feeling the mom guilt.

We also love the easy on-the-go packaged snacks and items like Abe's Mini Muffins, Bright Greens Smoothie Packs, and fresh fruits that help make packing lunches and after school snacks a breeze.  So simple for the kids to grab on the way to practice and it helps us feel better knowing they are eating something healthy to fuel them for the afternoon.

The Freshpack Leaf Salads are probably our personal favorites because it allows us to have easy and healthy lunches on hand for during the week.

We grab one to eat in the car between errands and carpool and it saves us from a drive-thru meal that we will end up regretting later.

There are two brand new Whole Foods Market 365 stores in the Atlanta area. One in Buckhead and another in Decatur and we're hoping more will start popping up soon because it truly makes our job as moms easier!

Have you shopped at the new Whole Foods Market 365 yet?  Is there one in your area? 

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Master Bedroom Makeover: Part 2

A few months ago, I decided it was time to update our Master Bedroom. Our bedroom was looking sort of sad and neglected compared to some of the other rooms in our home. I went to one of my favorite stores and shopped my heart out for some new bedding and decor, but even though I was happy with the results it still didn't quite look as "finished" as I had in my head.

After the New Year, Mr. Cute surprised me by saying he was taking a week off from work to stay home and wanted to knock out some home projects. We made a list of ideas and prioritized what we wanted to do. I was surprised when he picked my idea for our Master Bedroom out first. He looked at my idea and said he could create the trim work I envisioned in just a few days. I was so excited!

Our bedroom is such a large space, and I think what bothered me was that the walls were just so plain. I'm a huge sucker for trim work and almost every room in our house now has some (thanks handy husband!), but our sad little bedroom was left out along the way.

We chose to do a taller Board & Batten around the room, and Mr. Cute put his carpentry skills to work.

Within two days he had the trim completed, and within three caulked and painted. I was so impressed! It totally transformed our entire room!

As he was doing all the hard labor, I called up Carrie Beth to help me grab some of the finishing details. She was working on her closet/office makeover so I thought we could tag team our efforts and bounce ideas off one another. Not to mention shopping with your bestie is just so darn fun.

We found the softest, dreamiest bedding for a shockingly inexpensive price. 

And after two trips we got the throw pillow situation just right. 

And while team Magnolia efforts were focused on trim work, painting, and throw pillow hunting by day, at night I was scouring the Internet for a set of new chairs. Our bedroom already had a little sitting area set up, but I knew to make the room complete we'd have to update that a bit too. In my mind I had leather wing backs, but then I stumbled upon these gorgeous recliners and knew they would be perfect.

They coordinate perfectly with the storage bench at the end of my bed, and I know if we ever rearrange our furniture in the future, I can utilize all three together in a different space if needed.

We found this round side table during our shopping trip and I knew it was the perfect size for the space. Bonus that it matched my bedroom furniture perfectly. It comes in several colors, and almost did something to mix it up, but decided to have it be uniform to the rest of the furniture.

We have a few more minor touches to add to the room, but for now I'm loving our new master bedroom!

ALL IN THE DETAILS

It was so fun pulling this room together. Here are all the details in case you are interested in doing something similar or saw something you liked. 

• Paint Color (trim) - Egg Shell White from Sherwin Williams
• Paint Color (walls) - Agreeable Beige from Sherwin Williams
• Reclining Chairs (come in several colors)
• Side Table
• Storage Bench
• Striped Pillows
• Ruffle Pillows
• Macramé Pillows 
• Plaid Throw Blanket
• Blue Curtains
• White Bedding
• Striped Bedding
• Striped Sheets
• Lamps
• Kate Spade Photo Frames
• All other Frames & Accessories purchased from here. 

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