The Little Gym

Today we went to The Little Gym!

The Little Gym is located in the KMart shopping center just past Biltmore Square Mall on Brevard Road. We had a free introductory class for Mini Jacks, a “sports skills” class.  The class is for kids 3-4 years old and, including Tate, today there were 5 kids (4 boys and 1 girl). The kiddos today were 3-5 as this was a joint class.

Each class has "Skills of Focus," kind of an outline of what to expect in the class. The Skills Of Focus for the Mini Jacks class are: Target Practice Tally, Frisbee Catching, Front Support to Tummy Rolls, Sets of Tennis Hits, Cast to Horizontal, Overhead Tennis Serve, Shot Put Addition and Subtraction, Four Skill Tumbling Combo, and High Jump. The "sport" for today was Track & Field so there was running - lots and lots of running. Fortunately, that suited Tate just fine. He was the youngest in class today and had a hard time following some of the directions. Unlike Mighty Mites at Asheville Gymnastics, this class was not "free play." The kids had an instructor, Mister Chris, who led them through the different tasks. It was hard for me - being such a hands-on, be-right-there-all-the-time kinda Momma - but parents weren't allowed in. We all sat in the lobby and chatted while the kiddos played. There was a huge window into the gym so I could keep an eye on Tate but I just wasn't expecting that. (Thus the glare on the pics!)

A little warm up with the "shakers"

Wouldn't it be nice to have that much energy? :)



Working on the bars with Mister Chris



Just a good overall view of the gym

Tate loved this little station

"Riding the whale"

Aaaaaaand the dismount!

BIG FINISH! :)

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Overall, we had a great time. Mister Chris was awesome. He made Tate feel very welcome and gave "high 5s" (Tate's favorite!) right off the bat. He worked with each of the kids and gave lots of praise and encouragement.

Even though Tate is 3, Mister Chris said that since he's a "green 3" (meaning he just turned 3), we might be better off enrolling him in the gymnastics class for now. The gymnastics class is apparently a little less structured and it will give Tate a little more time to grow - he is a little on the small side for his age - before getting into the "sports."

The only thing I really didn't like about today was the timing. The class ran from 1:30 - 2:30, slap-dab in the middle of our usual nap time. By the time class ended, we loaded everyone in the car, got home and got everyone fed, it was nearly 4:00 before the kids went down for nap! Whooo! Tate was in sleep-deprived overdrive at that point.


In addition to the sports skills (3 - 8 years) and gymnastics (3 - 12 years), The Little Gym also offers dance (3 - 8 years), karate (4 - 12 years) and parent/child classes (4 months - 3 years).

The pricing for The Little Gym is a little confusing to me. Or maybe I'm just easily confused! Anyway, you pay $40 membership fee per year and then pay for each "semester." A semester is 20 weeks (though summer semester is only 10 weeks). You can join at anytime and the remainder of the semester you're joining is then prorated. For example, if we had joined today, we would've paid the $40 membership fee + $67 which is the prorated amount for the remainder of this semester (through June 4th). One good deal though is that if we sign Tate up for a class, Coco can go to the 4 - 9 month old class ("Bugs") for free. Free is good! :)


For the summer semester (10 weeks of classes; June 9th - August 17th) it's $159 plus the $40 annual fee.

Tate seemed to enjoy himself today and it would great to get him into a more structured class of following directions and taking turns but this one may be out of our price range for right now. Still, a great adventure!

Tomorrow we're off to The North Carolina Arboretum!

 

Roy Pope Memorial Park

Today we went to Roy Pope Memorial Park in Woodfin!

The park is located just beside Woodfin Elementary School and is open from 5AM - 10PM. No pets, bikes, or skateboards are allowed. It has lots to offer: 2 "castle" play structures, a covered sandbox, 4 "big kid" swings, 2 "baby swings", a special needs swing, a tire swing, a covered pavilion with picnic tables, restrooms, and though it wasn't on today, a water mister for hot days!

Tate playing in "Avery's Little Corner"

This portion of the park is dedicated in honor of Avery King, an Asheville native who was gunned down in a McDonald's in Covington, Georgia.

Joe and Tate playing on the slide

Tate playing on the larger of the 2 castles

The smaller of the 2 castle structures

The area around the castles has some kind of blue, bouncy flooring so if kiddos take a tumble, it doesn't leave an owie.

The covered sandbox

The tire swing

 

The park has 4 "big kid" swings, 2 "baby swings", and a special needs swing. It also has an awesome climbing structure and a covered pavilion with picnic tables.

 

The climbing structure

The swings and the climbing structure have mulch around them.

A view inside the pavilion

The pavilion has 7 picnic tables. A great place for a picnic lunch!

The restrooms and water fountain. Just visible in the left of the picture is the water mister for hot days. It wasn't on today :(

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Another great adventure! Tate had so much fun and slept like a champ at nap time :)

Tomorrow's adventure will be at The Little Gym!

Childrens' Clothing Exchange and Leicester Farmers' Market

Today we went to the Childrens Clothing Exchange and the Leicester Farmers' Market!

First, the clothing exchange. They have this sale once a year and anyone can be a seller. You just have to register early. The sale prices are preset based on category and condition.

 

This year's flier

As a buyer, it's like Christmas! There are great prices on clothes (newborn thru juniors), shoes, bedding, toys, books, games, baby equipment (carriers, potty chairs, high chairs, etc.). Today we even saw some "big toys" like a play kitchen and a Fisher Price picnic table (only $12!). Just as a note, this sale is CASH OR CHECK ONLY!

Just look at all those deals!

The prices are great all day but from 2:30 - 4:00 it gets even better as everything goes 40% off! Besides the amazing deals, another great reason to shop the CCE is that a portion of the proceeds and all donations go to benefit ABCCM.

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Next, we checked out the Lecieseter Farmers' Market on New Leicester Highway in the shopping center at the new Zaxby's. This market opened at the end of March and is open Friday evenings from 4PM - 7 PM and Saturdays from 9AM - around 2PM. They have everything! Fruits, vegetables, baked goods, flowers, crafts, even a taco truck! There are some permanent vendors but there is also space available for day vendors. Everything sold at the market must be be locally grown or produced and all vendors must reside in Buncombe or an adjoining county.

On the corner of New Leicester Highway and Eliada Home Road

Fridays from 4PM - 7PM and Saturdays from 9AM - 2PMish

Fruits, and veggies, and plants! Oh my!

I saw this and was just amazed! It's a wreath of succulents! The lady at this booth was so sweet and even took the time to explain how it was made.

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All in all, another great adventure. I love shopping locally!

Tomorrow is PLAYGROUND DAY! YAY!

Speech Therapy

Today's activity was Speech Therapy for Tate.

On April 14, 2009, Tate was born 6 weeks premature. Even after all the pain and anticipation of delivery, I only got to hold my baby boy for a minute before he was whisked off to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit by a team of doctors and nurses. When I finally did get to see him, he was in an isolette with an IV in his head, a feeding tube down his nose, and wires everywhere. He was so tiny. For 15 long days, we prayed for the day when he could drink 2 ounces - just 2 tiny, little ounces - from a bottle (that being the criteria for him to be able to go home). We learned firsthand all about gavage feedings, bilirubin lights for jaundice, and the tentative camaraderie between other parents in the NICU. It was the longest 15 days of my life.

The proudest Mommy in the world! :)

Our little man under the bili light in the NICU.

Even with all the tubes and wires, he was still the cutest kid I'd ever seen!

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Flash forward one year, my mom was babysitting Tate one afternoon and calls to tell me that he has a "squishy" spot on his head. 30 minutes later we're at the emergency room. After x-rays we're sent home, told he's fine. The next day they call us in for a CT scan. Two days later, they call and tell us to bring him in "immediately." Back to the hospital we go.

This time to Mission Hospital's Pediatric Critial Care Unit. Come to find out, he had a skull fracture! Other than one nurse who implied child abuse (oh, how I wanted to deck her) the staff was great. They monitored Tate overnight, told us to keep an eye on him and sent us home. They also put us in touch with their Developmental Follow-Up Program. This program tracks preemie babies' development as they grow.

We were contacted by Children's Developmental Services Agency's Infant-Toddler Program and the rest is history. They got us set up with specialists who evaluated Tate to see where he was developmentally. Then we were assigned a Speech Therapist who came to our house once a week for private therapy. The best part? CDSA bills on a sliding scale so the out of pocket cost to us for Tate's private, at home therapy? $0. Nothing, zilch, zip, nada. Yeah, amazing.

Once Tate turned 3 earlier this month, he was no longer eligible for home therapy and we were turned over to the Buncombe County School system. Now we have therapy twice a week at a predetermined location with a school system therapist. Today Miss Kaye (our school system therapist) had Tate point out pictures in books, practice taking turns, and name pictures on pieces as he worked a puzzle.

Everyone we have dealt with thru the Developmental Follow-Up Program has been great. Our little guy just turned 3 and is well on his way to talking up a storm! He has come so far from his days and the NICU and I could not be more proud of my little "Tater Tot."

Tate, Easter 2012

Tomorrow, we will be checking out the Children's Clothing Sale at the US Army Reserve Center in Asheville!

Mighty Mites at Asheville Gymnastics

Our activity for today was Mighty Mites at Asheville Gymnastics!

Mighty Mites is offered Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 10:15 and Sunday at 11:15. $5 gets you 45 minutes of "free play."

This morning there were about 15-20 kiddos - a good mix of boys and girls - from "walking" to 3 years old. As we came in, we signed in, paid the $5 fee and then left our shoes, jackets, etc. in the cubby room.

Miss Chrissy is the instructor for the Mighty Mites and she set up an obstacle course of mats, low balance beams, and cloth tunnels around the main part of the room. The floor on this part of the room is so neat; it's padded and bouncy!

Also available are a foam pit with a slide, 2 trampolines, various balls, and musical instruments. Around 10:45 Miss Chrissy brought out the parachute. The kids were able to "make" and "pop" bubbles by fanning the parachute, play "freeze" and "unfreeze" and finally make a parachute tent.

The whole class was accompanied by fun, bouncy music to keep everyone moving. There wasn't much structure to the class, just kiddos playing with their parents and each other. When class ended at 11:00, Miss Chrissy gave the kids stamps on their hands.

This is a copy of Asheville Gymnastics' current rate card for the different classes they offer. We've only been to Mighty Mites and the "Frequent Jumper Discount Card" for it is 6 sessions for $25.

They also offer Summer Fun Camps for Ages 5-13. The flier doesn't offer much in the way of descriptions of each class but the receptionist is really nice and will answer any questions you may have.

We had a great time and I think we'll be going back next week! :)

Asheville Area Activities for Kids

With two kiddos to keep entertained, I am constantly looking for things to do locally. I've found that other moms are in the same boat so I've complied a list which I intend (read: hope) to keep updated. These are just a few things that I've stumbled across that I thought could keep my muchkins busy for a little while. Some charge and some are free, I've included link to the sites since fees seem to change quite often:


First, the freebies! :)

Story time at Barnes & Noble in the Asheville Mall

·Mondays at 11A (Toddlers)

·Saturdays at 2P (“Older kids”)

Story time at Barnes & Noble at Biltmore Park

·Saturdays at 11A (“Everyone”)

Story time at libraries

·Leicester

oWednesdays at 10:30A

oHours of Operation: M,W,F 10A – 6P, Tu 10A – 8P, Sa 10A – 5P

·West Asheville

oStory time (3-5 years): Thursdays at 11:00A

oToddler Time (18-36 months): Wednesdays at 11:00A

oMother Goose Time (4-18 months): Mondays at 11:00A

oHours of Operation: M, W, Th, F 10A-6P, Tu 10A-8P, Sa 10A-5P

·Weaverville

oFamily Story time: Tuesdays at 11:00A

oToddler Time (18-36 months): Thursdays at 11:00A

oMother Goose Time (4-18 months): Wednesdays at 11:00A

oHours of Operation: M, W, Th, F 10A-6P, Tu 10A-8P, Sa 10A-5P

Southern Highland Folk Art Center

·Free parking, free admission

·Jan-Mar 9A – 5P, Apr – Dec 9A – 6P

Botanical Gardens at UNC-Asheville

·Free parking, free admission

Playgrounds

·Jones Park - off of Merrimon Avenue – turn between stone church and Exxon station (across from Stein Mart)

·Roy Pope Memorial Park – Woodfin - behind the elementary school

·Lake Louise – Weaverville

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From here on down, there is a fee for these activities...

WNC Nature Center

·Adults: $8, Youth( 3-15): $4, 2 and under: Free, Seniors (65+): $7

oActive Military Gets In Free

·7 days a week: 10A – 5P, closed Jan 30 – Feb 1 and Feb 20 – 22

The North Carolina Arboretum

·Parking is $8 per vehicle – parking is free on the 1^st Tuesday of the month

o2012 Free Tuesday Dates: Feb 7, Mar 6, Apr 3, May 1, June 5, July 3, Aug 7, Sept 4, Oct 2, Nov 6, Dec 4

oNo military discount offered

·April 1 – Oct 31 8A – 9P& Nov 1 – Mar 31 8A – 7P

Fun Depot

·Indoor mini golf, go-carts, laser tag, climbing wall, bumper cars, bowling, arcade, batting cages, soft play area for toddlers

Asheville Tourists Baseball

·Local Minor League Baseball Team

Health Adventure at Biltmore Square Mall

·Adults: $9.50, Children: $6.50, Under 2: Free, Seniors: $7.50

o10% military discount

·Mon – Sat: 10A – 8P, Sun: 12:30P – 6P

oSuper Science Saturday 12P – 2P, free with museum admission

oThursdays – preschool play 1030A – 1130A

Chimney Rock Park

·Hiking

·Adult – $15

·Youth (6-15) – $7

·Under age 6 – Free

The Tree House on Merrimon Avenue

·Classes (Yoga, Art, Spanish, etc.)

·Free play

The Little Gym on Brevard Road

·Gymnastics, Dance, Karate, Sports Preparation/Exploration

Asheville Gymnastics on Coxe Avenue

·Free play, Gymnastics, Cheer, Tumble, Parkour

County Swimming Pools

·Various locations

These are just a few things I've found. If you live in the Asheville area and have anything to add to this list, please leave a comment!