wordless wednesday // snowy minnesota

around and around we go!

in the cooler months, i always feel like it is much more difficult to keep a child entertained. the park is no longer a quick five minute walk away, you can't even play in the front yard. so what is a nanny to do ;) ? because i have been nannying full time for almost two years i have gotten pretty creative when it comes to indoor activities with children. for one, the malls become your new best friend. i have learned there is always a playground or kid area- and you can really get the littles to burn off all of their energy! two, the library is frequented much more. and three, you can find local classes or activities. last tuesday the little babe and i headed to toddler tuesdays (something we attend every week- great free twin cities area activity!). while we were there, i found out that the indoor amusement parks tickets were half off.   consider me sold! when the little one was getting restless, we decided to go on some rides. it was SO fun. her little face lit up once the ride began to take off (despite any of the photos i toke, she did not like it when i stepped away from her on the rides. i can't blame her, those rides are scary when you are a little person!)

we only went on a few rides but that was more then enough to keep this little one entertained. her favorite one was the merry-go-round. we sat on the pony and the entire ride she kept on saying "neigh, neigh!" then she turn to her neighbor, the rabbit and just stare at it as it moved up and down. needless to say, the rides were a hit and i think we will be frequenting them more often this winter. i am so lucky i get paid to hang with this little lady. 

found a monkey at the zoo

sometime i don't think i've grown up. i love 'playing outside'. i think i enjoy popsicles more then the average adult, and i somehow get food all over my face when i eat. ontop of all of these things, i love the zoo a whole lot. maybe this is i am a nanny during grad school, it's the perfect thing to keep me young ;). the other day the babes and i decided to head over the mn zoo, and man oh man did we love it! the little one is getting all into animals now and is starting to mimic animal sounds. she went berserk  over the monkeys and penguins. it was so cute. i love when kids get to be this age because they develop such personality!

 ** the only problem when the little one can crawl, they have a mind of their own on what direction to take! and it is hard to keep up! ontop of this, she is turning into a little monkey, and little monkeys are hard to hold onto! especially when they see other animals around. ps. i love my new salt waters so much (thanks again chad!)**

**the grizzle bears in the russian coast exhibit. this is one of my favorite ones, its newer and is done so well!**

if i could, i probably would go to the zoo everyday. but because i like to think i am slightly normal i don't go everyday... maybe just a few times a month ;)

what is one of your favorite "childish" things to do? 

sweet city life

why is city life so so sweet. since moving home to the suburbs (now about twenty minutes from the city- but it feels like forever) i really miss living in the city. the awesome coffee shops, the fun non-chain restaurants, all of the delicious bakeries. you just don't find those in the suburbs.

thankfully i am only twenty minutes away and with the little kiddos i nanny i get to go on city adventures daily. such as this adventure to the cupcake stop. it's our favorite little place- the little was especially happy to get her frosty the snowman cup cake, she couldn't stop singing the song :)

but from all of this chad and i have decided we will never live in a suburb. 

we love the uniqueness the city has. we like being able to walk/bike everywhere. we like going to new restaurants that we have never heard of. 

hopefully we will get down there soon, just gotta pay off our student loan debt and we can be on our way, unless we make a pit stop in europe ;)

photos/cupcakes are from sweets bakery located in saint paul.

Date night in the Twin Cities

So -many people have been asking me to do a post on some date ideas within the Twin Cities.

 No matter what state you live in, going out and making evenings special is a fundamental foundation for a happy relationship. As you may know the  boy and I love trying new places, resturants, and coffee shops so I will go ahead and share my top few. Please comment if you have any date night suggestions that you and significant other like to do, I am always looking for suggestions :) 

• Go to a local park and walk around. This sounds lame but it is very enjoyable to see the scenery and spend time talking with one another
• Go to museums -check out deals at libraries
• do something active, bike, paddle boat, etc.
• try doing something new like painting or go shooting
• Pay attention to Groupons & LivingSocial deals. I am constantly using these services to provide me with a cheap dinner date to a new resturant. I have found some of my favorite date night spots from doing this and think it is a great way to go out to eat on a budget.
• Outdoor Movies
• Local Events- a couple of years ago Chad and I heard about this bike polo thing, we ended up going and having a blast even though we had no idea what exactly it would be like.
• Zoo's- The Como Zoo is free in MN!
• Go fishing off a local lake
• Seek out happy hours at resturants
• Go to Holiday festivies 
• Paddleboat
• Mini Golf (Bloominton and Edina have a couple venues)
• Get emails with variety of local events going on within your community 

Fun Resturants in the Twin Cities

• Kafe 421- Have a graet couple night on Tuesdays 
• Pizza places- Broaders/Fat Lorezenos/ Pizza Luce. Some of these places serve pizza by the slice, which can be a cost saving way to eat out!
• Valley Tap House in Apple Valley- Have a good happy hour, something in the south suburbs 
• Moose & Sadies (Brunch)
• Bad Waitress 

Favorite Coffee Shops

• Spyhouse
• Kopplins
• Bull Run
• Dogwood (Rustia Bakery)

Great Museums in Minnesota

Minnesota has a great variety of museums around. 

To make this budget friendly look for the "free" night that the museum has to offer. 

• Mill City Museum
• Walker (Free Thursdays)
• Minnesota Historical Society (Free Tuesdays)
• Minneapolis Institute of Arts (Always free)

Making sure that you and your signficant other have time set aside for dates is one of the keys to a happy relationship. There is just something about it when you find time to go out to a certain place and make an occasion out of it.

What are some of your favorite date nights?