Making time for your non-mom friends is just as important as squeezing in date night with your significant other. But if carting your kid off to the sitter just isn’t possible, there are plenty of ways to enjoy some grow-folks girl fun and conversation with the little one in tow. We have ideas for every (kid) age that will allow you to gab, get a drink or simply share some quality QT with your best gal pal while your small fry stays occupied.

 

0-3 months: Get Some Grub Together
This is the time for lunch dates. Schedule them around your baby’s snooze time (which hopefully, is most of the time these days). Once they are passed out in your carrier or stroller, let the leisurely lunch commence.

3-12 months: Walk and Talk
Your babe is not yet mobile, so take advantage of being able to take a brisk walk with them. Pop them in the carrier or stroller and set out on a scenic, blood-pumping walk with your bestie. The movement and changing scenery should keep them occupied while you chat.  We are even betting your little will take a little snooze.  

1-3 years: A Tot Safe Space
This is when the challenge of completing a sentence gets real. And playgrounds and wide open spaces still require you to keep a constant eye on your wobbly (and possibly dirt eating) toddler. We suggest setting up shop beside a safe and contained playspace such as a sandbox or water table. If there are other kids there to splash with, all the better. But at this exploratory stage, it may be worth convincing your pal to join you at an age-appropriate indoor playspace or kiddie museum.  

4-6 years: Creative Museum Encounters
At this age, your kids are becoming more like mini contemporaries, so take them somewhere they can engage with you and your friend. An art museum is a great place for a date. We suggest you bring a sketch book and let your little sit on the floor and get creative while you and your girl gab it up.

6 on up: Playgrounds
Sure, you may be sick of playgrounds after, say, 2,000 plus days of hanging out at one, but for your childless friend, a seat on a sunny, scenic bench with an iced coffee in hand will seem perfectly quaint. By six, you child should be trustworthy with all the swings, slides and ladders on their own, so you can focus on your friend. We suggest hitting up a new, splashy playground and even bringing your child’s friend along so they stay occupied. 

Do you have any ideas for girlfriend dates with your kiddo in tow? Let us know in the comments below! 

 

Mechanical bull? Human hamster balls? Zorbs? Who knew there were so many alternatives to the ubiquitous birthday bounce house? Check out the following backyard birthday entertainment options that will have them jumping for joy.

Photo: Action Packed Parties

Mechanical Bull
Perfect for your little cowpokes, this mechanical bull operates as slowly (or quickly, for some after-party grown up fun) as you want to go. Nestled in the middle of an inflatable ring, there’s nothing scary about this ride, and it comes with its own operator (just to make sure you don’t mess up and hit the “turbo” button on accident). Planning a party on a Georgia gameday? You can replace the bull with a bulldog for an additional $100!

Where to Get It: Action Packed Parties, $650 for 2 hours, 770.466.3437

Wall of Velcro
Instead of climbing the walls of your house, suit your party guests up in specially designed velcro suits and let them storm an inflatable castle with a velcro wall. We speak from experience that it takes a little effort to catapult yourself with enough force to stick, so this may be better for kids ages 5 and older (lest you spend the entire party lifting, sticking, then unsticking the littles from the wall-o-fun!).

Where to Get It: Jumptastic, Inc., $265 for up to an 8 hour rental, 404-537-1805, info@jumptastic.com

Safari Gator Challenge
Part bounce house, part obstacle course, this 54 foot long inflatable alligator is certain to keep the kiddos busy. With an entrance through an opening near the tail (we didn’t design it), partiers travel through obstacles, up ladders, and down slides to make their way to freedom through the gator’s mouth.

Where to Get It: Astro Jump Atlanta, $399 for up to 6 hours, 770-529-0053

Human Hamster Ball
If you’re looking for a show stopper, you really can’t beat a backyard full of human hamster balls. Accompanied by an operator, these giant globe inflatables allow your kiddos to race, bump, and roll all over your yard (or, if you prefer, stay contained to an inflatable pool in your backyard). Attendants inflate, load, and help initiate play for the kids, and you enjoy your refreshment, knowing that the vendor is fully insured. 165/ 1st hour, 65 after that, additional ball is 65/ hour after that, flat smooth ground

Where to Get It: Le Ball, Prices vary by delivery distance but are generally $165 for the 1st hour and $65/ hour each additional hour, 678-371-9090, banda.amusement@gmail.com

Parachute Games
Love the idea of an at-home party with something special to do but not ready to break into the kids’ college savings to do it? Consider renting a couple of full-sized parachutes (a la gym class, 1989) and channeling your old P.E. teacher. Can’t remember back that far? No fear. Check out this link to get a refresher. Was there really anything better in elementary school than parachute day, really?

Where to Get It: Action Packed Parties, $15 each, 770.466.3437

Did we miss something? Tell us how your littles like to party in the comments section below!

—Shelley Massey

Photos courtesy of Le Balls and Astro Events via Facebook and Dplanet::dolanh, Kevin Baird and  lleugh via flickr Creative Commons

Autumn sure is packed with fun kids events, but that doesn’t mean you (mom and dad!) have to sit on the sidelines. Nothing screams grown-up fun more than a road trip through the Bay Area to visit some great breweries and taste delicious autumn-themed beers. Our friends at 7×7 have put together fabulous suggestions on places to try tasty brewskies that will make you feel the Fall Spirit in the best way possible. Sit, relax, and drink up…. adults need their treats, too.

Just as seasons vary from one part of the country to another, so do regional seasonal beers. In the east, the local brewpubs are all about pumpkin ales this time of year. On the west coast, we have the succulent orange squash as well, which is the subject of a future blog, but right now it’s the end of our hop harvest season and time to enjoy beer bittered with fresh or “wet” hops. We asked the experts for their tasty suggestions for autumn brews.

Dave McLean, brewmaster and owner of Magnolia and the owner of Alembic Bar, explained the concept of fresh hopped beers. “Hops are very fragile when picked and need to be carefully dried to preserve them for use throughout the year. Fresh hop beers eliminate the drying step and are made using just-picked hops that are taken from field to waiting brew kettle in as short a time as possible, before any degradation might occur. This usually means getting them from the grower to the brewer in less than 48 hours.” He adds, “Since the hops aren’t dried, the flavor profile manifests all of the hops. Essentially, none of the most volatile flavors and aromas are driven off during processing.” Dave notes that Magnolia still has a limited quantity of their wet-hopped beer, High Time Harvest Ale, available, but expects that it, like the season itself, will soon be gone.

To finish this 7×7 article, click here.

Written by Scott Mansfield

This is our weekly guest post from our friends at 7×7, a site that keeps you up on the best of SF. We’ve teamed up for an exciting partnership to bring you a fantastic Date Night idea each week. Be sure to check out their blog for hourly doses of the best of SF.