Toddler Birthday Party at the "My Gym"

My Gym

This is a nationwide kids gym franchise aimed at 6 weeks to 13 years of age.

They offer a whole range of activities for kids, from arts and crafts, to sporting activities and general play.

Membership can be a little expensive, so that's up to you, but the party service they offer was superb. We were invited to a friends toddler party, for mostly 2-3 year olds.

The whole party went really smoothly, from story time to running around using various equipment such as a ball filled pit, to jumping around various padded blocks, to swinging around on huge rocket shaped swings. The activities were great fun and even though the whole thing was very laid back, it was nicely structured, to get the kids doing something different very quickly leading up to singing before the cake, which they were great about preparing and serving. A great couple of hours entertainment for a huge number of kids.

Eating Out at The Cheese Cake Factory

Seems like the Cheese Cake Factory at least locally has changed a little to become a lot more child friendly.

Recently they have added more high seats for little kids, which is great, but there still seems to be a lack or limited amount of booster seats.

Family with little kids are also places in booths or tables with a lot more room now, which is nice, that certainly wasn't the case before, where you would be kept on tables with very little room.

The menu, they also now have a proper kids menu, which also has had some revisions to the meals on offer, not exactly the cheapest kids meals, but quite a good selection and the food does seem to be freshly made such as the macaroni and cheese, which unlike many other places at least doesn't come out of a Kraft box.

Not being able to make reservations though and having long wait times in the evening can be a bit of a chore, as does no crayons or anything on offer for little kids.

Lunch Out With the Little One

Just had lunch at a couple of places over the last few days, where I've not eaten before.


First was at Chick-Fil-A which was in a mall. The food wasn't what impressed me, because it was pretty meh, fried chicken and the kids meal was really limited to chicken nuggets and you had to pay extra to substitute the waffle fries for a fruit cup.

What was really good, especially for a place in a mall food court, the service. They offered to have someone take your food to a table if you had your hands full with a pushchair, never had that happen before and certainly makes up for the food. The waffle fries are awesome though!

The second place I tried, The Border Cafe. This was great, the kids menu had a good selection of meals from the usual grilled sandwich to chicken tacos with a decent serving of the string fries, salad, soft drink and a choice of chocolate or a packet of sweats for desert, all for $3.

Only down side seemed to be the fairly open plan of the place, which could have been the location I was at rather than the other restaurants. They had plenty of high chairs, but they were still a little low for the high tables and the lack of booths meant it did get quite nosy during lunch as it was very busy. The service was great, the food was out very quickly, all lovely and well priced with good portions and the fresh tortillas and salsa make for a great free snack while your waiting for your food. Loved it.

Eating out at American Girl Bistro

American Girl Factory, going for lunch at the Bistro, certainly an experience.

Cute as the place was, lending you a doll with a high chair if you don't have your own, it's still an over priced treat.

$16.50 for a fixed starter and main course plus drinks and $7.50 for a kids menu, which is a main meal and ice cream.

The food is good, but the descriptions were a little deceptive. Fondue of strong cheddar cheese with crusty farm style bread turned out to be what appeared to be melted Velveeta cheese and soft chunks of normal bread.

It was good but not quite as expected, but better than the veggie skewers, which consisted of a piece of pepper, a tomato and cucumber.

Main meal, the macaroni and cheese had the same cheese as fondue, the side of fruit was a couple pieces of melon. This contrasted with the kids version which did have a good portion of fruit and vegetables on the side.

The salmon meal was fantastic on the other hand, good portion of salmon, nice side of steamed broccoli and carrots with a good serving of mashed potatoes.

Another odd thing about the place, no booster seats, only high chairs.

Certainly a fun afternoon treat with the little one, but some how I think it would be better for icecream and coffee kind of break.