Chadwicks' Picture Place

Outings: Thanksgiving Point and Zoo

2012-01-27T15:56:00.000-08:00

These pictures are from outings taken with Colette and Madeline over the last month or so. First, we all went to the Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point.

Notice how Maggie is not in this picture. She was too busy grumping. I dragged her out of there just after this, and we went home.

This week was one of the winter free days at the zoo, so we met up there. Jodi and Kyli came with us, but apparently I didn't get Kyli in these pictures. I'm posting them all because of Maggie's silly faces. That's a snow leopard behind the glass.

Thumbs up! I think she learned that from Soarin' Over California.

Disney. Land.

2012-01-24T15:47:00.000-08:00

Yay for Disneyland! I purposefully did not take as many pictures as I normally do. Most of the ones I did take were of the kids with characters. We also waited to see characters and did NOT take pictures. I got tired of the kids running up to their favorite friends and immediately turning around to look at me. So we stopped taking pictures and focused on hugs instead. Don't forget to read more about our trip on my journaling blog.

Dalton loved 'racing'.

Maggie says Pooh is her best and Tigger is also her best. And Piglet is her best, too, but he is still in the Hundred Acre Wood.

Cheese! A nice stranger took this for us.

Maggie concentrating on spinning her teacup.

Maggie didn't want to wait in line to see Minnie, but afterwards ran ahead into her house to investigate. I took this picture with my awesome sneaky-zoom.

Disney decorated for the Lunar New Year near it's a small world.

I dragged Maggie to the Princess Fantasy Faire. She was not happy...

Still no Maggie (though Dalton was enjoying the attention).

Aaaaand Maggie perked up at the sight of a handsome prince!

Best snuggly friend!

Another snuggly friend!

Maggie loved the ladybug boogie.

Dalton did not - they do not allow lap-sitting so he clung to my leg instead.

I Got a Rock

2012-01-19T20:57:00.000-08:00

Aunt Pat (my dad's sister) and I took the kids to a ship-themed park near the marina in Morro Bay.

Maggie was proud of herself for climbing up and down these posts - which were much taller than they look. There's Morro Rock in the background, if you didn't know.

Then we went shell-hunting amid the rocks on the beach at Spooner's Cover in Montana de Oro. I camped here with my mom once or twice in high school and loved this little beach.

I got a rock!

Here's a close-up of the "sand" on this beach.

With Aunt Pat at the Cove.

Uncle Garry and "Little D". This is one of my dad's brothers, who reminded us of people calling my Grandpa Dalton "Mr. D." In the background, you can just see a picture of my dad and his siblings. That's my dad on the left, then Aunt Pat.

After dinner cookies (Joel, Leah, Maggie, and Dalton)

Elephant seals at Piedras Blancas.

Really a lot of elephant seals at Piedras Blancas.

Here's one of the males (with his elephant proboscis) scooting along in the sand.

After lunch we went to Morro Rock beach and found dozens of sand dollars.

New Year, New Hair

2012-01-11T16:09:00.000-08:00

Here is me and my sticky-outy pig tails and Dalton and his peanut butter face. (I cut off and donated 13 inches of hair on New Year's Eve.)

Maggie took the picture, which was very exciting.

Living Out of [Daddy's] Suitcase

2012-01-08T18:34:00.000-08:00

Daddy left his suitcase out in between business trips and it got played with. A lot.

Maggie wanted to wear her tutu to church today. I told her she could wear it to school tomorrow and she set it aside. A few minutes later, Dalton came out of her room announcing, "New hat!"

More Dalton funnies here.

Feeling Better

2012-01-08T18:26:00.001-08:00

After several days of this...

The kids were mostly back to normal today.

Dinosaur Hairstyles

2012-01-07T18:44:00.000-08:00

The dinosaur hairstyles started when both our kids dressed as dinosaurs for Halloween in 2010. Maggie was a Triceratops (three pigtails) and Dalton was a Stegosaurus (spiked hair). Since then, well... ponytail, pigtail, birdie tail (what Rachel and I called half ponytails growing up)... it was only natural Maggie would soon ask for dinosaur tails.

I am NOT a hairstylist. I'm just a creative mom with a dino-loving daughter. I'll add to this post as we try more hairstyles.

Styracosaurus

One "horn" in the front, and three spikes coming out of her frill. I would have done more spikes, but Dalton managed to break the rest of our small rubber bands.

Pachycephalosaurus

Pachycephalosaurus has hard bumps around the crown of his head. I did two French braids sideways around Maggie's head and bundled them together into one big "bump" at the back.

Dilophosaurus

Dilophosaurus has two crests on his head. We did little braids, then bigger tails.

Basic Triceratops

ETA: Maggie's hairstyles have moved beyond dinosaurs... She now requests things like Snowman, candy cane, and even a wagon!

Inheritance

2012-01-06T18:47:00.000-08:00

Even though I'm an IN-LAW I somehow inherited Grandma June's sewing basket. I also asked for any "vintage" sheets to be saved for me, and I got these lovely, super soft sheets.

Here's her sewing basket. Crazy old embroidery patterns, yarn, knitting needles, pearlhead pins etc.

This was the best stuff in the basket. Ancient, metal embroidery hoops, wooden spools of thread, giant scissors, and a pill bottle filled with needles. The prescription is for John's grandpa, with a date in the '70s.

When she was still alive, Grandma June gave me this apron. Someone made it for her as a gift for her 25th birthday, or something.

Happy New Year, Sick Boy

2012-01-01T12:54:00.000-08:00

Christmas Lasties

2012-01-01T12:52:00.000-08:00

I could tell which stocking hanging at up in preschool was Maggie's without seeing her name. The top left is her letter to Santa - a dinosaur and a ball.

Daddy is on vacation, so we went to the aquarium. Yes, that says "Goliath Bird Eating Spider."

They hooked up the electric eel to a Christmas tree! Awesome.

ETA a few more Christmas drawings of Maggie's. The first one she copied from her Daddy. The big X on it is because Daddy's was a window scene.

Google hates me and is uploading this picture sideways for no good reason. The left (top) drawing is Snoopy dressed as Santa.

Bundled at the Park

2011-12-28T17:21:00.000-08:00

Why Am I Not Surprised?

2011-12-27T21:22:00.000-08:00

The Roof at Temple Square

2011-12-27T21:19:00.000-08:00

John asked for a fancy dinner for Christmas, so tonight we ate at The Roof Restaurant at Temple Square. The food was really good, but the view was hard to beat.

Here are some silly pictures of kids we took in the car today while waiting in line at the car wash.

Maggie has been wearing her coat backwards since some friends came over last week with theirs on backwards.

Sledding at the Cabin

2011-12-26T20:44:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun at the cabin today! Not all of the family was able to make it, but we had a great time with those who did, including two dogs. We spent over an hour outside sledding. We went right down the road, and also found various hills off the road to try. The high altitude and kid-lugging really wore me out. Luckily, Ashley and Brook took turns pulling Maggie back up to the cabin on a sled!

My little family hiking up for a turn.

Christmas Day

2011-12-26T19:58:00.000-08:00

First picture from my new camera after church!

First look at what Santa sent.

yay!

Maggie asked for "candy cane hair."

Apparently, it's very difficult to unwrap a football.

Maggie disappeared during the present opening. I found her in the kitchen playing with her new stuffed dinosaurs.

Snuggling with Uncle Leonard and a new book from Aunt Rachel.

A special gift from Frosty and Rudolph.

Some crazy pictures trying out the new camera settings.

Was a little horsie going to town. Crossed the bridge...

And the bridge fell down!

Uh-oh! Dalton really did fall. Uncle Nathan is a favorite for this game.

Shepherd Daddy!

The guys all dressed up.

Playing the White Elephant game.

BYU Paleontology Museum & Provo Cemetery

2011-12-24T09:19:00.000-08:00

We went down to Provo to visit the cemetery and see the BYU Paleontology Museum. We also ate at Magleby's Fresh, which was reallllly good.

Maggie drew a Christmas tree.

We met some of our Whitney cousins at the musuem. It was smaller than I was expecting, but they had some pretty neat specimens.

Torvosaurus

Maggie, me, Sarah, Kristan, Jill, Leonard, Dalton and John. (Sharon took the picture).

Miss M investigating the TEETH

Christmas Cookies

2011-12-24T08:45:00.000-08:00

We actually got around to making sugar cookies! Here's the recipe I use - and the one my mom used.

Mine.

John's

One of Maggie's... Her's were a little much.

Dalton didn't make any cookies, but ate a LOT of frosting.

Buy War Bonds

Leonard's

Miss Maggie Cookiebaker

That's my beater boy.

Thanksgiving Point: Museum of Ancient Life

2011-12-24T08:33:00.000-08:00

We have a Thanksgiving Point membership, so we took Leonard to the "dinosaur museum."

Maggie got to drill out a fish fossil, with the help of Uncle Leonard.

Halloween Craft: Wrap Around Candy Corn

2011-12-19T18:58:00.001-08:00

Maybe it's a little late to be sharing a Halloween craft. But there's always next year, right? We made this wrap-around candy corn way back in India.

Cut out a candy corn shape from a piece of chipboard (I used a cereal box). Use pinking shears, or cut little notches all along the sides. You'll need embroidery thread or yard in candy corn colors - orange, yellow, and white.

Using a yard or so of each color, tape the beginning of the thread to the back of the candy corn and let your child wrap it around, sticking it in the notches. You may need to draw guidelines for each color. Tape the end of each thread.

Silly girl.

Preschool Program

2011-12-18T19:39:00.000-08:00

Here's a little snowman drawing Maggie did for her teacher.

She had her first Preschool Program on Friday. It was night and day difference from her refusal to participate in the Primary Program in India. (The Primary is singing in church on Christmas, we'll see how she does then - I'm thinking great!)

She mostly sang along, and smiled and was cheerful. I'm so glad she loves preschool.

Dalton loved the cookies.

Elf Hunt at Gardner Village

2011-12-15T20:17:00.000-08:00

Today the kids and I took two of their cousins and met my cousin Jill to do the Elf Scavenger Hunt at Gardner Village. When they turned in their forms, they each got a candy stick. It was freezing, but we had fun. Sadly, the Christmas Shop has been taken over by Modern Display and is no longer cool. Here's everyone except me (taking the picture) and Maggie (refused to be in it).

Maggie did agree to pose with her favorite elf - the one taking a bubble bath!

Thanks for the Dinosaurs

2011-12-15T12:05:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of the Thanksgiving items Maggie brought home from preschool. Are we at all surprised that her fill-in-the-blank I am Thankful for was "Dinosaurs"?

I also recently found this note written by Leonard at age 6.
"Dear Mom, I love you because you Buy me dineosaurs and you give me presens and you feed me and you let me help you make cakes love leonard"

Little Helper

2011-12-13T17:59:00.000-08:00

Misc Haps

2011-12-09T17:26:00.000-08:00

Tasha and I carpooled to the first free winter zoo day. (Last Wednesday of the month, Nov-Feb.) We got a nice view of the tiger.

Dalton and Madeline all bundled up.

Maggie proudly held a star during the ward Christmas party. (She's in the middle in the white sweater.) Compare that with her refusal to participate in the Primary Program in India. She is a different person in Primary here.

We went to see the lights at Thanksgiving Point. Here they're advertising their dinosaur museum, which we have also been to. The camera and I are still having a post-India separation period, so no pics of that.

Flassing

2011-12-06T07:52:00.000-08:00

I want to flass! Give me the flassing! We can share!

Dalton pulled a couple yards of floss out of the container, then brought it to me. The kids have been flossing ever since.

And fighting over the floss.

Pissmas Legos

2011-12-01T15:53:00.000-08:00

Maggie opened, with much excitement, her first Christmas present today: a Lego Advent Calendar from Uncle Leonard!

Today's was a little snowman, complete with a carrot nose In the spirit of that, we made a Santa Claus, a Christmas tree, some presents and a reindeer using Maggie's existing Legos.
Also, Homeland Security has failed to protect the Little People airport from dinosaur invasion.

Maggie's Muppet Show

2011-11-28T17:54:00.000-08:00

We went to see the new Muppets movie this weekend. Maggie supposedly didn't like it, but then she called me into her room to see her Muppet show. She was carrying a magic wand, so I thought perhaps she meant magic show, but no. The only thing I could understand was "Now it's time for the Muppet Show" which she said before I got the camera, but it's cute nonetheless, especially for Daddy who is out of town.

Good Old Cabin

2011-11-23T17:08:00.000-08:00

Maggie has been begging to go to the cabin since before we left India. We finally went up yesterday and spent the night. She talked Dad into stomping up to the "stick house."

We didn't realize how much snow there'd be, or we would have brought snow boots.

Giant icicle at a neighbor's cabin.

Little Tikes cabin. Me want.

It took Dalton an hour and a half, but he finally found a comfortable spot and fell asleep.

The next morning, we realized the clocks hadn't been changed for daylight savings and we'd put him to bed an hour early.

Goodbye June/Hello Blue

2011-11-19T16:13:00.000-08:00

Today, after buying new coats, and checking out Jodi and Franco's new pad, we went to the Lehi cemetery to say goodbye to Grandma June.

Maggie put a tiny Christmas tree on her grave. She also asked lots of questions about seeing Grandma's bones and resurrection.

We took John's fabulous new car, because the kids are obsessed with it. It's worth moving the carseats to appease them for the weekend.

Ta dum!

Homeward Bound

2011-11-15T19:17:00.000-08:00

Today I took pictures for the first time since New York. Actually, New Jersey; Sumana took the ones in New York. And the ones I took today were for my recipe blog. So, my lack of picture-blogging can't entirely be blamed on my lack of internet. Anyway. Two weeks ago, we left India.

We were so eager to leave, we got to the airport before they would let us check in. So we had fun in the waiting room.

Silly boys on the plane.

On the train from New Jersey.

That's me, au naturel. The sling and I are having a period of separation right now.

See Maggie's head nodding? She was asleep minutes later.

My fave brother.

New York City Library.

Daltons at Kannagi's House

2011-11-15T19:12:00.000-08:00

Kannagi took Dalton (and a lot of our stuff) to her house. I was too sick to go, and Maggie wouldn't go without me. With Sandeep and Kannagi's nephew.

Kannagi's grandson, Dalton (no, seriously).

Dalton and Dalton and various neighbors.

Kannagi's nephew with both Daltons.

Dalton and the parrot.

Primary Program

2011-10-29T03:58:00.000-07:00

Here is our church building.

Here is Maggie not participating.

Here's everyone afterwards.

The kids got cake and snacks, including Dominos Pizza (which we thought was strange). At this point, Maggie decided to be friendly.

Boys & Girls - as usual. Our branch has the largest Primary. Kannagi was surprised when she saw this picture.

Living Out of a Suitcase

2011-10-29T03:45:00.000-07:00

Again.

Bangalore: Innovative Film City

2011-10-28T03:13:00.000-07:00

Innovative Film City. This place was about as Indian as you can get. Except, it was clean, and they had a really nice McDonald's. It was tacky, run down, the rides looked pieced together, the Disney characters were rip-offs, and there was a peeing-boy fountain. What more do you need?'

Actually, we really enjoyed it. It was inexpensive, and occupied a full day. The mirror maze and the Ripley's Believe it Or Not were great. I've been to several Ripley's museums, and this wasn't any worse than the others I've seen. They also had a double-decker carousel and a roller coaster that actually made my stomach flip a little bit.

I can only assume that is Mickey Mouse.

Buddha filled with shredded bills from the US Mint... (At Ripley's Believe it Or Not)

Animatronic Dinosaurs (aka the reason we went).

They had a small fossil museum as well.

What's with the maniacal WWII machine-gunners?

Louis Toussaud's Wax Museum. They did a good job with Walt, but what's with the blue Donald?

For Mom.

Skimo... It's a treat!

Two Indian Dates

2011-10-28T02:57:00.000-07:00

We took Kannagi and Sandeep out to lunch at this Persian restaurant.

This is the first time I'd seen Kannagi wear a sari.

John and I also had a date recently. We went to the fish spa, and out to lunch at UB City.
Instead of getting dessert at the restaurant, we picked out some chocolates from Bliss Chocolate Lounge. They were about a dollar each, but very delicious!

Homemade Halloween Clippies

2011-10-20T21:53:00.000-07:00

I posted a tutorial on making these cute Halloween felt hair clips over at Mommysavers. Maggie loves them! Her candy corn clip from a couple years ago is in storage, so we had to make replacements.

Water Bed

2011-10-15T03:16:00.000-07:00

I could put the floaties in a different room, but then I wouldn't get any more of these cute pictures. (last time) Besides, he's been napping extraordinarily well this week.

This was yesterday and today - he's wearing the same outfit because he wore his Halloween costume most of yesterday.

While we're being Dalton-dorable, here he is wearing the new shoes Kannagi bought for his birthday. He tried to put them on himself, and was so pleased. He asked to go for a walk.

Then he realized he wasn't dressed (I took off the Halloween costume for dinner) and started demanding "jammies". (Notice Maggie decided she's wearing mis-matched socks.)

And on the little less adorable side, here is what he did to my computer the other day:

Trick or Lettuce!

2011-10-14T05:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! We took the kids trick-or-treating at Daddy's work today. The kids passed our Skittles to many of John's co-workers, and received treats from many of them in return.

Maggie wore Ember's bee costume from last year. She's been talking about being a bee for nearly 12 months. The Monster Bag is also from them - it held a gift for Maggie when Dalton was born.
Dalton ended up wearing his Chinese outfit and being a Ninja. He was napping before we left. ETA: That is Kannagi he's snuggling, not one of John's co-workers.

Dalton ate a LOT of Skittles.

The kids were asked to do "tricks" several times. Maggie's was buzzing around like a bee, and Dalton's was kicking. Maggie actually spoke, though she made up a lot of silly words. Last time we went to John's work, she would only neigh.

Another mouth FULL of Skittles.

Indians don't celebrate Halloween. Plus, Halloween isn't for two weeks. So, we were going to hand out candy to a few people to give the kids, but it was completely unnecessary. The kids got quite the haul with what people had on hand at their desks. Including four boxes of fruit bars, candy bars that cost $1, Kinder Eggs, and a dirty ball.

Halloween Kids Crafts

2011-10-12T04:02:00.000-07:00

I know we'll at least be having more Halloween muffin tin meals, but I wanted to share the Halloween crafts we've done already at our house.

Pumpkin Muffin Tin Meal

Orange & Black Muffin Tin Meal

Homemade Ghost Window Clings

Paper Plate Spiderweb

Halloween Pals from toilet paper rolls

India in October

2011-10-12T01:51:00.001-07:00

It's like they expect it...

I've seen a lot of crazy things being carried on motorcycles. Huge TVs, hundreds of eggs, dozens of live chickens. So safe.

I bought dozens of Bindi packs to bring home.

This guy has set up shop ironing in the basement.

Mario Kart at Whitefield Mall

"mowing" the lawn.

And Don't Put Up Posters Either

2011-10-11T21:12:00.001-07:00

That's a Freudian Slip if I ever saw one.

Dalton Turns 2

2011-10-10T01:34:00.000-07:00

From this:

To This:

And now this:

Such a sweet, happy, boy. Daddy and Maggie made this birthday sign for him. He got a cricket ball and a little green Jeep, just like Uncle Brook's.

2nd Birthday balloon courtesy of Candylicious' 2nd birthday celebration at Dubai Mall.

Dubai: Sand, Snow, and Shopping

2011-10-09T07:53:00.000-07:00

Emirates Airline is awesome.

The first picture I took in Dubai.

Not only no smoking on the beach, but no photos either. Oops...

Persian Gulf.

Beach Baby.

Dalton played at the toy store while Maggie played in the snow.

Ski Dubai.

Atlantis water park, in the Shark Attack water slide.

Going down the rapids, Dubai style!

Burg al Arab.

Hershey's Store.

World's Largest Chocolate Bar.

World's Tallest Building.

Look at that infrastructure! I can barely remember what that's like.

India in September

2011-10-01T19:06:00.001-07:00

I already posted some random India pics from September, but here are some more.

"MAKE THE WAY FOR THE CHILDREN"

Jodi's favorite sign: man in suit crossing in a zebra cross.

"Plaese Don't Pollute The Air"

The Catholic church down the street had this poster up for Michaelmas. I had a time explaining it to Maggie. I think she was tempted to feel sorry for the demon.

Playing With Toys

2011-10-01T19:04:00.000-07:00

I think Dalton *really* doesn't want his Hong Kong shirt to blow away. It's got a bus and cars on it, so you can't blame him for loving it.

Maggie built a dinosaur restaurant out of Legos. It is filled with leaves and a flower and a fish and has a girl to give the dinosaurs the food.

Here are her oh-so-clever dinosaurs.

Having lunch.

Dalton parked all his vehicles in neat parking spaces around their container. That boy loves cars.

Dinosaur Footprints Painting

2011-09-30T01:53:00.000-07:00

I've wanted to do car painting for a long time, but I guess I'm just not willing to get paint on our toy cars. So, when we finally did this activity this week, we decided to go with a toy we have plenty of, and don't mind getting messy: dinosaurs.

I put a blob of each paint color on a paper plate, while Maggie collected a handful of toy dinosaurs.

Then, she dipped each one in paint, and printed dinosaur tracks all over her papers.

I gave her a whole stack of papers, and she completely covered three of them. I also gave her a little dish of water and a rag to clean her dinosaurs with, if she wanted to use them for a new color.

She also wanted to try tracing the dinosaur feet, but they don't have very distinct feet, and they're tiny. So, she ended up drawing some instead. These footprints were made by a Trexasaurus.

Shared at Link & Learn.

Indoor Play Places in Bangalore

2011-09-29T02:06:00.001-07:00

Here are some of the indoor, soft play places I have visited with my kids in Bangalore. My kids are age 2 and 4, and we are American, so my reviews are based on that perspective. If you know of another fun, clean, place for kids to play in Bangalore, please leave a comment. See also Family Activities in Bangalore for more fun things to do. The information in this post was accurate as of October 2011.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any related questions about expat or family life in Bangalore. I know how hard it can be.

Snakes & Ladders
Cost: For one hour, 100 Rs. for 1 child, 50 Rs. for each additional child.
Information:
Old Madras Road, near Outer Ring Rd.
Above ICICI Bank
Across from RMZ Infinity
11am-8pm
Our Review: Snakes & Ladders is BY FAR the best indoor playplace we've been in India. It is cheaper (since I have two kids) and so clean. It is completely safe for my 2 year old to wander around unattended. He can get on the low swings himself, go down the slides, and there's no where to fall - the only entrance is a slow climb, not a ladder.

Whitefield Mall

Cost: 50 Rs per child for 20 minutes

Information:

3rd Floor, Whitefield Forum Value Mall

Open mall hours

Our Review: This play area is fun for small children, and you can leave them to play while you do your shopping. They will give you a ticket when you bring your child, then you pay when you pick them up. There are slides, swings, a playhouse, ride on toys, and balls. We used to really enjoy coming here, and the kids would play with the young girl who was tending. The last time we went, it was a grumpy woman who talked on her cell phone the entire time rather than watching the kids.

The mall also has an arcade with a really fun mini-bowling alley. It just costs 25 Rs. to play bowling. On the ground floor, there is an inflatable jumping house and electronic ride-on toys. Each is 50 Rs. per child (10 minutes jumping).
Time Out Arcade

Cost: 100 Rs per child for 1 hour

Information:

Oasis Mall, 100 ft. Rd/Inner Ring Road

Koramangala

Our Review: This is a nice play area, secure enough you can leave your child while you shop (they won't let the child out until you come to claim him). Unfortunately, they don't allow children under age 3. My daughter liked it, but not enough to stay for an hour.
Monkey Maze, Indiranagar

Cost: 100 Rs. per child for one hour

Information:

Monkey Maze

13th Main in Indiranagar.

Going South on 100 ft road, turn left on 13th Main. On left side.

Opens 10 am?

Our Review: This playplace is covered, but it is on the roof and is technically outdoors. It is dustier than the other, indoor ones. There are hired girls playing in the equipment with the kids, but I still didn't feel safe to leave my 1 yo there. There are a lot of ladder climbs and drops where he could fall. They also have books, ride-on toys, and offer classes on dance, art etc. This place is pretty crowded.

Monkey Maze, Marathalli/Whitefield (both photos above are from this Monkey Maze)

Cost: 100 Rs. per child for 45 minutes

Information:

Opens 10am?

North side of Marathalli Bridge. Turn left immediately after crossing the bridge into Whitefield.

Our Review: Annoyingly, this Monkey Maze is more expensive than the one in Indiranagar. It is a smaller, but cleaner play area. Still nowhere near as clean as Snakes & Ladders. My 1 yo is too small to go up in the play area alone, but there is a ball pit and trampoline down below. They also have toys! They have blocks, a toy kitchen, and art easel, and a small swing/slide. My kids liked playing with the toys more than the play place. One of the girls will usually come play with my kids.

Here are two other Bangalore play places that I've heard of, but haven't visited:

Hide & Peek (Jayamahal)

Gambolla (Infantry Rd Cross)

Maggie L'Artiste

2011-09-29T01:40:00.000-07:00

Every morning, John and Maggie draw a new number to hang on our front door, counting down until our trip to Dubai (now 4 days away). Maggie has been practicing drawing the outline of numbers. I think this is a 5. Very mod.

Some early attempts, and Daddy's version.
Here's a fish scene I drew last week. I stepped away to make dinner, and some dinosaurs started eating my fish! So clever.
Here's another cute dinosaur scene Maggie did. She does many dinosaur drawings each day, too many to keep or even photograph. But I liked her trees in this one.
This one is a different type of drawing than she's ever done before.

Zebras and Muffins

2011-09-29T01:12:00.000-07:00

Dalton, watching Baby Monet (Baby Einstein). The kids call this show "zebras." I love how Dalton says "Yum!"

Maggie drew some zebra pictures to console Dalton when I turned the TV off. They are adorable, but I'm mostly posting them because they are the first drawings she's done in months that weren't of dinosaurs.

The zebra puppets in the show turn colors with the seasons. And Maggie would like you to know that those are ears, not a crest. Zebras don't have crests.

Dalton Lightyear to the Rescue!

2011-09-27T03:17:00.000-07:00

Family Activities in Bangalore

2011-09-26T07:46:00.000-07:00

After 11 months of finding things to do with my two children in Bangalore, I thought I'd pass that information on to others looking for family activities. Here are some of the many things we've found to do, along with photos and information. Our children are 2 and 4, and we are American, so our reviews are done from that perspective. I did a separate list of Indoor Play Places in Bangalore, so check that out as well.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any related questions about expat or family life in Bangalore. I know how hard it can be.

The information in this post was accurate as of October, 2011. If you know of other fun activities for kids in Bangalore, please leave a comment.

Bowling
Cost: Varies by timings. Per person, per game: 110 Rs weekdays, 120 Rs weeknight, 140 Rs weekends. Shoes included.
Information:
Leela Palace. On the bottom floor of the shopping center.
23, Airport Road
opens 11 am
Our Review: Pictures We did not pay for the kids. They just took turns bowling on our games. There are only four lanes, but we've only been first thing in the morning, so it wasn't crowded. There is also an arcade and dancing. While you are at Leela Palace, be sure to check out the GRASS and let your kids run around. My 4 year old is always impressed when we go somewhere with actual grass.
Miniature Golf - Fantasy Golf Resort

Cost: 200 Rs. per person. Kids were free.

Information: Fantasy Golf Resort

It is WAY out by the Bangalore Airport.

Opp. ITC Factory NH7

Yelahanka - Devanahalli Rd.

Our Review: More pictures. They thought we were crazy that we just wanted to play miniature golf. The course was a little difficult to navigate, but was beautiful. We were brought mango juice to drink. The Fantasy Golf Resort also has a playground, sports areas and swimming.

Industrial and Technological Museum

Cost: 20 Rs. for adults. Kids under 5 free. 3D movie 20 Rs. extra.

Information: Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum

10 am-6 pm

Downtown, near Cubbon Park

Kasturba Rd.

Our Review: Pictures here and here. Our kids are a bit on the young side for this museum, but still had fun. There is an exhibit of balls following tracks all over the room, old airplanes, hands-on physics experiments, and an animatronic Spinosaurus that scares my 2 year old. There is an art museum next door, but we've never been.

Government Aquarium
Cost: 10Rs, kids under 5 free.
Information:
At Cubbon Park

Kasturba Rd.
Our Review: Pictures There isn't much to this dreary aquarium. There are two stories, each one has two layers of aquariums around a circular room. However, it is so ridiculously inexpensive that you can easily tack on a visit to the aquarium to a visit to Bala Bhavan or a museum at Cubbon Park.

Bala Bhavan (Children's Park)
Cost: 5 Rs. for entry, children under 5 free. 10 Rs. per person (over 3) for boat and train rides
Information:

Inside Cubbon Park. 10Rs. parking required.

Our Review: Pictures This is a fun day out for those with young children. The Children's Park has several play grounds, a train ride around the entire park, boat rides, a castle to climb on, statues of animals, etc. There are several areas of the park that I have never seen open, including a physics exploration area. Ice creams, snacks, drinks etc are available inside the park.

Children's Library

Cost: Free

Information:

West side of Cubbon Park

Our Review: I was really disappointed in this library. In my opinion, there are better things to do if you're going to drive all the way to Cubbon Park. However, if you're really desperate, it's something to do, and it is free. The books were nearly all in Hindi or Kannada (and they didn't look very good, even if you can read in those languages). The English books mostly consisted of encyclopedia/non-fiction books, and a shelf or two of baby board books. There is a pile of bean bags that make a comfortable reading area, and some kid-sized chairs. Outside, in the front, there are a dozen ride-on toys, but every. single. one. was broken. I recommend going to a bookstore, and browsing there, instead.

Brainvilla Book and Toy Library and Store
Cost: Plans start at 150 Rs./month
Information:

10 am - 8 pm, Friday Holiday
1. 6th Cross, Kaggadaspura
2. Nagavarapalya Main Road (Both in CV Raman Nagar)
Brainvilla
Our Review: You have to purchase a membership to Brainvilla, but if you live nearby, you may find it to be worth it. We had one for the first few months we lived here. Depending on your level of membership, you can take up to 4 books or toys out at a time. The one in Nagavarapalya has a play mat near the children's section where the kids can play with toys, or read books. This one is cleaner as well.
Other Bookstores.

We've visited other bookstores, just for fun. Our two favorites are in Indiranagar. Both carry books and toys, as well as coloring books, workbooks etc.

Sapna Bookhouse

80 Ft. Rd, near CMH Road, Indiranagar

9am-5pm

This one has a LOT of children's books, fun to browse. However, there is nowhere to sit and read.

Odyssey Books

100 Ft. Rd, Indiranagar

Opens 10:30

The book selection here is more generic and expensive. However, they have a carpeted area with a few popup tents, ride on cars, balls etc where the kids can play. (ETA: they are rearranging the bookstore and this area is not currently set up. Not sure if it's coming back or not.)

Bannerghatta Biological Park (ie Zoo)
Cost: 160 Rs. Zoo entrance and Grand Safari (kids free unless they need a seat)

Butterfly park 25 Rs.

Elephant Ride 60 Rs. (under 5 free)
Information:

9 am to 5 pm

Tuesday holiday

30 minutes south of Bangalore on Bannerghatta Rd.
Our Review: Pictures here and here. There are a lot of good things about Bannerghatta park. If you are used to Western zoos, you may be dismayed at the conditions and treatment of animals. However, it is still excitng to be able to see the animals very closely. Food is available for purchase.

The Grand Safari: Because the drivers and tour guides are eager for tips from white visitors, they cram you into the front seats and take pictures for you. Then they ask for 100 Rs. tip (each!) afterwards. This is all completely unnecessary. If you don't want to be crowded, you can refuse to be crowded onto the waiting bus, and board first on the next one. You can also take your own pictures. Even if not, 100 Rs. is a ridiculous tip. 30 or 40 is fine. Each safari trip is different (I've been on four) but you'll likely see sloth bears, tigers, lions, deer and more. It is well worth the money.

The Zoo: As I mentioned above, the zoo itself is a bit depressing. They have a large selection of animals. 7 hippos, dozens of crocodiles, snakes, birds, leopards, monkeys etc.

The Elephant Joy Ride: Elephant rides are only available on the weekend! You have to remove your shoes. The zoo has at least 10 elephants of different ages. They usually have one near the fence to collect tips. If you're lucky, it will be an adorable baby! If you bring some bananas, you can feed the elephants. You can also give the elephant a tip (a coin if you look Indian, 10 Rs. if you're white) and get a blessing.

Wonder La
Cost: 540 Rs/410 Rs Adults/Kids Weekdays

680 Rs/490 Rs Adults/Kids Weekends and Festivals

Lockers: 50 Rs + 150 refundable deposit
Information:

Wonder La

11 am-6 pm (7 pm on weekends and festivals)

1 hour south of the city off Mysore Rd.

Our Review: Pictures Saying that Wonder La is in Bangalore is a stretch. It is over 2 hours away from our flat on the east side of the city. It's a fun amusement park and water park, great for a day away from the city. There are kid rides and thrill rides. We didn't do any of the thrill rides, but enjoyed most of the kid rides. Bumper cars, train rides etc. There is also a Sky Wheel, a Ferris wheel very high up in the air. As for the water park, there are paid lockers, separate pools/areas for women and children only, and lots of fun splash areas, wave pools, water slides, and a lazy river. We did not try the water slides, as our children were too young. The lazy river and wave pool were very nice. Food is available for purchase.

Fish 'n' Water

2011-09-21T05:03:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more Kerala pictures. John blogged about this trip already, but I wanted to add more pictures, since I use our blog as photo storage.

Attending confession. Except we got yelled at.

Outside the church.

A nice view of the refinery, and all the water plants in the lake/ocean.

This guy really wanted Maggie to pet the (poor, tortured) fish.

Hauling in the Chinese fishing net.

I don't often get to see myself from the back - dang, my hair is long.

Dalton with the fishing net and 3 Keralan men wearing lungis.

This is the steam cabinet John used.

The floaties were a great investment.

On the boat - I called this one of the best hours spent in India.

Chinese fishing nets and lots of water plants. Amazingly, the speed boat only sucked up one water plant.

Along the backwaters.

It kind of reminded me of a Disneyland ride. This cow was real, and he was mad.

This is the life.

Not sure I could detach lobster from a net while standing on a canoe. In a skirt.

Maggie's "tails" were blowing behind her as she sat in the prow of the boat.

I'm Famous.

2011-09-21T03:38:00.000-07:00

John's coworkers brought him this paper today:

He thought this photo was taken without my knowledge, but it is actually a photo Rachel took in December. (Our 2nd day in India, which is why Dalton is passed out in my arms.) It was just used without any permission, credit or source, that's all. TII.

The article is not about us, but it's here if you want to read it.

This is Me

2011-09-19T05:01:00.000-07:00

This is me turning 1.

This is me turning 30.

Doing good, I think! I didn't put my foot in the cake this time. If you don't follow my other blog, you might want to check out my Unbucket List.

Trouble in Paradise

2011-09-19T02:00:00.001-07:00

What a fun and exhausting trip to Kerala (the south tip of India). Nothing but beautiful scenery, incompetent customer service agents, chain smokers, and sunscreen! Pics to follow.

View from the balcony of our room onto Kaithapuzzha Lake. We stayed at the Ramada.

The pool. This resort is small (only 42 rooms) so we had the place to ourselves a lot.

Traditional Kerala houseboat. Just floating on by.

Our turn! The backwaters are absolutely amazing. Dalton slept the entire cruise, the little stinker. He missed all the fun. Maggie loved it but commented it was quite long.

Chinese fishing nets

We also tried our hand at the Chinese fishing nets. But we didn't catch anything.

And last but not least. Kingfisher changed our flight on us, and says Expedia did it. We couldn't get Expedia on the phone and they gave up our seats. The next flight out was at 7:30 the next morning. Luckily we passed a brand new Holiday Inn hotel so we spent one more night in town. The Holiday Inn had carpet so we got an extra blanket and Maggie slept on the floor! Finally we had the bed to ourselves!

I won't say it's worth it, because it wasn't. But this was the most comfortable bed I've slept on in nine months! We put on our happy faces for the kids and actually had a fun night watching Tom & Jerry with kids, ordering non-spicy food like ham and cheese sandwiches and Ceaser's salad, almost lost our passports thanks to a rather incompetent front desk, and slept extremely soundly until 5 am when we had to get up and trek back to the airport. But it's a memory, right?

Enrol Now

2011-09-15T01:29:00.000-07:00

Dalton Be Nimble

2011-09-13T07:35:00.000-07:00

At around Dalton's age, Maggie would ask us to "Ben Bo" or "lie down" with her when she went to sleep at night. So when she saw Dalton doing this in the car, and said, "Dalton is Ben Bo-ing" I laughed and told her the story of baby Maggie.

But apparently she was saying "Dalton is limbo-ing." Indeed.Those are Fruit Stripe gum zebra "tattoos" on Dalton's hands.

I Got Dressed All By Myself

2011-09-12T04:41:00.000-07:00

Though someone little helped by adding a chocolate stain.

Prolific

2011-09-11T20:19:00.000-07:00

Button Turkey

2011-09-11T19:52:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving already? I'm way early, but I got an itch to sew something and the button turkey I saw at Counting Coconuts has been on my list for a while.

Maggie helped pick out the colors, and the kids colored (a lot) while I sewed him. I blanket-stitched two layers of felt for the feathers, and whip-stitched the turkey face onto the body. We did a light-colored turkey, because our neighborhood turkey is white. No, really.
Maggie is learning the new skill of buttoning. None of her clothes require this, but she'll be getting a new wardrobe in a couple months.

She was very pleased with her first successful button!

India Misc.

2011-09-09T08:42:00.000-07:00

Love this house. Looking above from my friend's balcony. This little cement shack with a tin roof and a satellite dish. Goats and dogs in the yard. The woman washing dishes on a rock (no running water).
I've seen these buses a few times and I don't get it. Do they know they have the colors labeled wrong?
Maggie and her friend riding bikes on the roof.

Dalton and the Blade

2011-09-09T08:01:00.000-07:00

Dalton got another hair cut yesterday.

He cried, at least until I sat him in the chair. Then he tried to wipe his runny nose with the cape.

Maggie didn't like the street noise.

Straight razor. Brave mama. You can see it in the mirror.

Monster Bookmarks

2011-09-06T06:20:00.000-07:00

I saw these fun monster bookmarks a while ago and bookmarked it until closer to Halloween. So... now! Maggie and I each made one. We printed out the template and used it. Maggie traced the ruler and added a long neck to her monster. Perfect for marking our place in the latest Dinosaur Cove adventure!

A Nap in the Pool

2011-09-05T20:11:00.000-07:00

A Trip to The WILD!

2011-09-04T20:17:00.000-07:00

Today we went to THE WILD! The Wilds of Madagascar, that is. Our trip included swimming.We had a giraffe "game" - John colored a giraffe head and neck and I measured the kids against it. Maggie, by the way, had "hippo" hair (ears).
We made animal paper plate masks which, I'm sorry to say, turned out more scary than cute. Maybe we need to use smaller plates. Maggie is a hippo.
Dalton is a monkey. I made a zebra one.
We played Hippos in the Mud.
Then, for lunch, we had a Madagascar Muffin Tin Meal.

We were also going to do a hunt for glow-in-the-dark stars, but we didn't have time. Another day!

Shared at For the Kids Friday.

Homemade Toy: Car Garage

2011-08-31T05:13:00.000-07:00

I saw this homemade car garage for toy cars over at What do we do all day? and made it for some insta-fun. I used a Pop-tarts box. I cut off one side and use it (and lots of tape) to make the central level.
We also used an empty animal crackers box as a makeshift airplane hanger.
I made this for Dalton, and even though he's in none of the pictures, he enjoyed playing with it, too.

Upcycle By Hand: Pants to Pants

2011-08-30T05:57:00.000-07:00

Dalton Boy is sorely in need of new pants. He grew out of the ones he was wearing when we came, but not into the hand me downs we brought. I took a pair of my khakis that had a rip and used them to make some pants for him. Here he is modeling them with a 9-12 month onesie. Hmm. Perhaps this is why the hand me downs don't fit.

I made a casing for 1 inch elastic only to find that I used most of it on Maggie's Halloween costume. I had to make due with 1/4", so he's got a little ruffle around the waist.

But you can't tell when he wears a t-shirt!

Cheese! Yes, I sewed these entirely by hand. Yay me.

New Videos

2011-08-30T03:53:00.000-07:00

If you haven't noticed (and you probably haven't, but you probably don't care either) I made a new blog category called "Videos". The kids and I like to watch old videos of them, and this makes them easy to find. Some of my favorites are Aunto Bacho, Dalton's first steps (co-starring Aunt Erin and Ember, with voiceovers by Uncle Brook and Grandma - always good when we're missing family) and crazy dancing at Christmas.

Here are lots of new videos from today. First up: Dalton spelling the word "Friends" on his shirt. He did it this morning, and it reminded me of this video of Maggie, so I had him do it again on camera.

Here is a video Maggie made of me. She's very proud of it.

Maggie tells you all about Gondola and what dinosaurs are (and aren't) there.

Maggie sings her new favorite Primary song, "Stand for the Right."

Maggie tries "Stand for the Right" again.

Maggie makes up words to "Praise to the Man." Because we have all the Primary kids together here, the song-teaching caters to the older kids who can read, thus Maggie has a difficult time learning the songs, no matter how many times we sing them. Also, how many words in "Praise to the Man" does she even understand? Anyway, the video's hilarious.

Today We're Going to GOND!

2011-08-25T03:18:00.000-07:00

One of Maggie's wildest dreams came true yesterday. She's been counting down to a trip to Gond. Who am I to spoil the fun?

Maggie packed stuffed animals, dinosaurs and a ball for Dalton to play with.
Arriving at Gond.
John made this lovely sign for Toucan Airlines.
The "airplane" was too heavy, so the kids ended up getting individual airplane rides in my arms instead.
Gond has dinosaurs, but they went missing. So, of course, we had to go on a dinosaur hunt. Maggie repeated this activity for me throughout the day, and we found several more John had hidden each time.
Gond has a swimming pool with bubbles, balls, and "a mushroom umbrella with a bucket of water that dumps on it." I think Maggie looks a bit like Ember in this picture.
For lunch Maggie requested a Bee lunch. We opened a bag of Cheetos just for this occasion.

Bangalore: UB City, Shiva Temple and ISKCON

2011-08-22T03:20:00.000-07:00

UB City. Maggie loves this place. She grumped at the temple, but perked right up when we got here!

ISKCON Temple (Hare Krishna)

Shiva Temple

Hampi with Jod: Anegundi

2011-08-21T06:43:00.000-07:00

Since we saw nearly all of Hampi on our first day, we decided to cross the river to Anegundi the next day. We hiked up Anjanadri Hill for a great view of the area.

View of Anegundi and Hampi (across the river)

680 steps.

On the way back to the dock, we got out of our auto and walked the last bit (much to the driver's confusion) so I could take a picture of the Maxicon restaurant.

Rice Paddies

Waiting half an hour for the lazy boat drivers to come across and get us.

Lying on the ruins above the river.

Jodi is standing where I'm lying in the above picture.

A boy and his goats.

Mango Tree (we ate every meal here)

Banana plantations on the way to Mango Tree

Hampi With Jodi: Hampi Ruins

2011-08-21T03:25:00.000-07:00

My trip to Hampi with Jodi

First class sleeper cabin

Hmm. That must be us.

Lotus Mahal

Elephant Stables

Queen's Bath

One of many photo ops

Octagonal Bath

Vittala Temple

Coracle boat ride

Ahaha... I'm not sure why this guy was standing there with his tiffen, but it makes me laugh still.

Narasimha

Virupaksha Temple

Love this sign. Don't worry, they put it up after we left.

Jodi making friends with Lakshmi, the temple elephant.

Bangalore: Fish Spa and Bannerghatta

2011-08-20T09:30:00.000-07:00

I took Jodi to the Kenko Fish Spa in Bangalore. It was one of the most fun things I've done in India. It was about $25 for both of us, for 30 minute fish spa and 10 minute shoulder massage. It made our feet and legs feel so soft and smooth!

We went to Bannerghatta Park today for one last elephant encounter.

A Monkey in Our Kitchen

2011-08-20T05:57:00.000-07:00

"Mom, there's a monkey in our kitchen. It's eating our food!"

Mysore: Rail Museum, Palace and Market

2011-08-14T02:51:00.000-07:00

Mysore Rail Museum

Elephant ride at Mysore Palace

Getting a blessing

Camel ride

Chamundi Hill Temple

South Indian thali

Devaraja Market

Knives for sale.

Spice mixes.

Wonder La

2011-08-14T02:44:00.000-07:00

We went to Wonder La on the way back to Bangalore.

We got Dalton to ride the mini ferris wheel, but he cried.

The second time around, he went on the truck ride with Maggie.

I can't remember the last time I rode bumper cars! John always takes Maggie. This was Ladies & Kids only, too.

The Signs at Mysore Zoo

2011-08-14T01:41:00.000-07:00

We went to the Mysore Zoo on our trip this weekend. While we did have a lot of pictures taken of us, I took more myself this time. I took pictures of all of the funny signs there.

One of the giraffes had really dark markings.

Bloated monkeys, Indian English, typos and graphic images - sit back and enjoy the hilariousness of the signs at the Mysore Zoo. (Click to enlarge)

Haircut Craft (Scissor Practice)

2011-08-08T05:26:00.000-07:00

Saw this fun haircut craft on Jen Spends today and immediately tried it out with Maggie. Obviously we still need more scissor practice, but she had fun. Dalton occupied himself by tearing apart crepe paper.

Flag Waving

2011-08-07T07:29:00.000-07:00

Maggie set up this bed for Dalton and he got in it. Not sure what the frisbee is for.
I took the kids to see Kung Fu Panda 2 (since Winnie-the-Pooh didn't last 2 weeks in the cinema here). Maggie was ready to go 1/2 hour early and walked around like this waiting.
Dalton's new favorite pastime is to roll down the window and wave to people. Our windows are very tinted, so normally people don't notice us in the car. But with the window down, he attracts just as much or more attention as when we are walking. He makes friends with
lots of bus riders, motorcyclists and auto drivers.We found a men's ethnic wear shop selling specialty items for Independence Day next week. We bought it all, including a white kurta set for Dalton, and an extra free souvenir for Kyli.

Bangkok: Lumpini Park and Everything Else

2011-08-03T03:14:00.000-07:00

More Bangkok. Dalton on his 12th smoothie sample.

Maggie and John in the pool.

The food court was so big, pictures don't even do it justice. I'll just say this - they have TWO McDonald's.

Dead chicken stickers hanging in the window. All that junk is the night market.

Tuk-Tuk.

Hot Pink Taxis.

Pumpkin pie in August? This was the most delicious pumpkin pie I've ever had. Maggie only ate a little, so I finished it for her.

Lumphini Park. Hot and rainy.

At the airport.

Entertaining Dalton with a quick drawing of a road.

Bangkok: Safari and Marine World

2011-08-03T02:41:00.000-07:00

Safari World. (More here)

baby zebras!

Camels wandering down the road (just like in Yellowstone!)

Herd of rhinos.

We didn't get any more good pictures because of the rain and having the windows up in the carnivore section.

Feeding the giraffes! The highlight of the entire trip, for all of us.

You can feed the baby tigers, but we got there at nap time.

Two of the dozens of macaws

The River Cruise ride was pretty bad.

Orangutan boxing show. Also pretty bad.

Sea Lion show

Dalton was more interested in the Indian man next to us.

The elephants tight-rope walked (this one even turned around on the ropes and went back), painted, played games, and walked over audience volunteers.

Feeding the birds.

This was our tour guide.

Bangkok: Siam Ocean World Aquarium

2011-08-02T04:02:00.001-07:00

Siam Ocean World in the basement of Siam Paragon shopping center. Hopefully the life jacket stays on long enough for us to save him from the sharks.

100 baht for raw shrimp.

Feeding the fish on our glass-bottom boat tour.

Dalton is unsure of the sea otter.

Dalton's favorite part of the aquarium.

Fish spa!

These are blurry, but I tried to get the aquarium in the background.

Maggie and the "baby hammerhead fish" as she calls it.

Tuk-tuk!