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I did my first solo-trip with the kids to Cape Cod, which from my area is about a three and a half hour drive. I did a TON of research and asked polls on my Instagram to figure out the must-have items to make travel easier and the dos and don'ts. I took what you all recommended and used most of it and have weeded out what works and doesn’t work (at least for my three and almost two year old). SPOILER ALERT: the three year old rocked the entire trip and the two year old was a human nightmare. The difference between the two was actually insane from start to finish. She was cranky in the car, hated anything given to her, made a mess, didn’t sleep at the house we rented, refused most meals we ate out, and just struggled overall with the change in routine. He slept, he ate, he was comfortable, and he had no problem with any of the trip! The difference a year can make! 
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I did a poll on my Instagram story and discovered that to most (19 voted it was easy, and 11 voted it was hard) mothers thought breastfeeding was easy to them. I specifically asked if breastfeeding their firstborn came easy and was natural to them! I have to be honest; this was a little shocking to me and does not represent my experiences with either of my children. Since I had such a different experience than what appears to be most, I thought I’d share my breastfeeding journey with both of my children. I hope this helps someone who didn’t have it so easy! I get you :)   🐙 Oscar The Octopus by Matthew Van Fleet - This is a touch and feel book with fun, unique vocabulary words and months of the year!
⚠️Three Cheers For Kid McGear by Sherri Duskey Rinker - Part of the Construction Site series and the same illustrations, any truck lover will love the introduction of a girl skid steer to the crew! 🌌Solar System by Jill McDonald - A great introduction book to space and the universe with great excerpts about each planet and traits that make it unique! 🦕 Digging for Dinosaurs by Jaye Garnett - I love how interactive it is. You pull flaps and open little facts. Lincoln's favorite part surprisingly is the excerpt on hominids!! 👧I Like Myself by Karen Beaumont - books that boost confidence and easily talk about our differences are great! The illustrations are vivid, colorful, and silly.
NEWTOWN, CT children's museum @everwondercm was a hidden little interactive museum we discovered through CT Summer Museums🖼️
There is a lot to unpack here, but the highlights for us were the imagination station room, bearded dragon, grocery store, and floor games. I was a little disappointed with toddler town and was expecting it to have more. The grocery room was great, but with one carriage, one register, and one kitchen spot they couldn't play fully together. The train/transportation room was full of cool tracks and vehicles and the sensory room was fun--but it definitely felt empty, like there could've been just something extra novel and different that wouldn't be elsewhere. We were lucky to see the bearded dragon Mrs Morris up close and learned a bit about them from a staff member who was great and kind and patient. That was a great experience! We didn't fully get to use the exhibits because they're geared a bit older. The magnet wall Lincoln loved but was too short to take full advantage of it. They had a tinker room that was cool but again, a little too old for us. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Overall, it was a fun morning and Lincoln left talking about the ramp and three wheeled cars so that's great and he really had fun! For me, I can't justify another trip because while we had fun, there wasn't much that held the kid's attention for more than a minute or two. New animals or an updated toddler geared exhibit would bring us back though! For the location and ease of getting there, this zoo gets bonus points. Honestly, it's such a cute zoo--the animals look healthy, the habitats are well maintained and clean, the layout is easy to navigate.
There isn't a lot of diversity in animals and since it is smaller, it's a morning trip not a full day trip. We leisurely walked from 10-12 and that was enough for us all. We saw everything and weren't rushing around at all, if anything we were dragging to spend more time there. The animals that are there are awesome. The wolves were so cool, and the spider monkeys put on a serious show (Lincoln was cracking up as they played on a ropes course). Alligators were a big hit and the Sumatran tiger was beautiful. I personally thought the black leopard was amazing! I loved watching him/her walk across the enclosure. Some areas were closed due to COVID restrictions. We wanted to ride the carousel and it was closed. The indoor rainforest portion was closed. We had been once before and that inside part was really cool and you could get up close with the lizards and snakes. Loved it! They're opening a farmyard in June and we might go just for that! It looked really cool! Overall, definitely a fun morning, some beautiful animals we don't get to see normally, and an easy walk with two toddlers. It's a perfect morning trip and at $15/person not a hefty outing. We stopped in the shop on the way out too! Very small, very cute, and a nice morning trip! We found this little gem online and decided to visit. Cows were the main draw, but we went while an art show was going on and auction and all these fun summer activities! They have an entire building for art and culture exhibits and although that's not a draw for us, it's pretty great to expand sometimes.
They have a ton of cows! They're very well kept and have their own rolling pastures. The hills and trees and mountains were gorgeous. The views alone made it a cool outing for me. There was two little baby cows that had been born about a month prior and inside the barn was about a dozen cows. They were inside because the flies were out. There's not much and it's more farm than attraction which is completely fine. The animals were all free ranging in their fields and we didn't get to see the sheep because they were so far out on the hill and we weren't about to hike that far. The owner recommended coming back in the afternoon because it was typically cooler and the animals were moved and fed at that time. They also have a reptile area we didn't see because of the garden show festivities, but she said that they had snakes, various frogs, different lizards, and more. Lincoln would love that I'm sure! Definitely a see if you like traditional farms, kind people who will give you lots of fun info on the animals and farm itself, and a quick trip to pet a cow, see endless chickens, and look to the hills for sheep! RIDGEFIELD Parks and Rec playground has tons of little nooks to explore and plenty of space to grow into! Easy to make a day of fun and lots to climb, run, and jump on!
What I liked most was the room to run! There was a ton of stairs, climbers, rock walls, and ramps to run up and down and make quick turns and stops. While Lincoln was able to do a lot of the equipment, there was a few climbing areas that he was too short or not really willing to try yet! It didn't deter from how much fun they had, in fact, it'll probably help that eventually they can do these spaces. The equipment is metal but not too hot (we went on an 88 degree day!) and honestly all of it had siding so I didn't worry about kids falling off or getting hurt while they ran. Overall, a super fun public playground with lots of space to run your energy out and explore new skills. Definitely a must play if you're in this area! 🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳 NORWALK Sky Zone was an amazing hour of exercise, for all of us! They offer a "little learners" time on Saturday and Sunday from 9-11 and this was perfect for our family. It was quiet, no big kids to worry about, and lots of space to explore.
I feel like we didn't even get to see the entire facility because the little nooks weren't easy to see. Anything trampolines and ropes and balance beams was there! While some areas were definitely not for this aged kids, it's nice knowing that they'll grow into the harder courses. Since we went during a quiet time, everything appeared super clean and well kept up. The toddler area had foam pieces that had clearly been bitten into but not dirty at all. They had sanitizing stations all over and attendants walking the building at all times. It felt safe and clean and easy to not run into others if you didn't want to. So impressed and so happy the kids enjoyed it because we were worried they might be too little. Not the case! We loved it and the second we got in the car Lincoln said "that's a good place!" ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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