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Posts by midwestkcmomma

Aug 3

Oceans of Fun

Beat the Heat – Cool off in KC this summer

I knew it was coming, didn’t you?  But I didn’t want to believe it. Our incredibly mild winter has morphed into an incredibly hot summer. For the last weeks of summer, here are a few kid tested/family approved ways to end summer with a bang and stay cool.

Oceans of Fun

  1. Waterparks. Who doesn’t love a water slide? Oceans of Fun (www.oceansoffun.com), has 60 acres of slide and water attractions. Or head over to Kansas City, Kan., to Schlitterbahn (www.schlitterbahn.com), which has the region’s only surf ride, a 3,000-foot rapids river and tube slides! If the heat is too much, Great Wolf Lodge (www.greatwolfe.com), and the Coco Key Water Resort (www.cocokeykansascity.com), both have indoor waterparks. Kansas City also has lots of spray parks and community pools (www.kcmo.org/CKCMO/Depts/ParksandRecreation/index.htm).
  2. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (www.nelson-atkins.org) A collection of nearly 35,000 pieces of art, you could easily spend an entire day here and still not see everything. Now through Aug. 19, the special exhibit, Inventing the Modern World, Decorative Arts at the World’s Fair is on display at the museum. Young and old will enjoy seeing the thousands of objects that were showcased during the 1851-1939 World’s Fairs.
  3. Crown Center (www.crowncenter.com) It’s a destination within itself. From the newest attractions like LEGOLAND Discovery Center and Sea Life Aquarium to tried and true popular attractions like Kaleidoscope, Union Station, National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial (www.worldwar.org) to the Money Museum at the Federal Reserve Bank (www.kc.frb.org/moneymuseum). And plenty (60) of shops and restaurants to fill your dining and shopping pleasures. Not to mention, the three performance theaters – American Heartland Theatre, The Coterie Theatre and the Off Center Theatre. Read more

May 7

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See Missouri by Train

The only remaining dome car in Amtrak service.

My son loves trains. Model trains, Thomas the train, freight trains, passenger trains – He loves them all. So I recently surprised him by taking him for a ride on a real train, the Missouri River Runner. Amtrak services KC and recently had the only remaining “Great Dome” rail car available for service between St. Louis to Kansas City.

Since this is the first time in many, many years that the historic dome car has been in KC – I knew that the kids and I had to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Our excitement grows as we wait to board the train. My son can’t keep still, he is so excited. As the train enters the station, they can’t contain themselves. I’m pretty excited too! It’s been years since I rode the train.

Finally the train comes to a complete stop and we wait our turn as riders deboard. Now it’s our turn! We board the train and make our way to the dome car which is the last rail car. It was funny to watch the kids try and keep their balance while the train was moving  80 mph!  As I giggled at them, I lost my balance and  fell into a man’s lap. Luckily he was nonchalant and unruffled by my clumsiness. We decided to go to the upper level, which was a good choice.  With windows on all sides and overhead, the  panoramic views of the Missouri countryside were lovely.

Read more

Feb 15

May 4, 1930 - Group shot of union members standing in front of their new home at 1835 Highland.

Mutual Musicians Foundation – Not just for adults

For as long as I can remember, I have always known about the Mutual Musicians Foundation (MMF). Its reputation to those underage makes it appear to be a secret society, especially since it’s only open in the wee hours – 1-6 a.m., Fridays and Saturdays only.

But in some instances, I guess it was a secret society in the early 1920’s for colored musicians. The Colored Musicians Union or Local 627 was founded in 1917. In 1970, MMF was turned into a fraternal organization to keep the building and the rest of its assets. Apparently they were being given away to universities, museums, etc.

Before segregation, Local 627 was one of the only African-American musician’s union affiliated with the American Federation of Musicians and operated as a social center, engagement clearinghouse and vehicle for grievances against unfair booking practices. Read more

Dec 23

Country Club Plaza Lights_031_AA

Brrr… It’s Cold Outside 4 cool places to visit over Christmas break

If your family is like mine, we can’t wait for Christmas Break.  Of course my kids (all kids) love opening their presents on Christmas day. But I am overjoyed with the sweet thoughts of sleeping late that dance in my head! This time is usually carefree, but after about two days, my kids get cabin fever. They love the outdoors no matter the season, but mom on the other hand does not like the cold. So here are a few things to do that your kids will find cool without being outside.

1.  Plaza Lights – if you haven’t seen the lights yet, it’s a must see. Thousands upon thousands of brightly colored lights embellish the domes, windows and towers of the Country Club Plaza. It is so pretty.  The best part, you can stay in your car to view the luminous lights if you don’t want to get out and walk.  Or you can bring a blanket and take a carriage ride.

2.  Crown Center – So much to see and do, you can spend an entire afternoon here. First stop, Santa’s Crayola Playland.  Open until Dec. 31, children can run and play to their heart’s content on super-sized Crayola® products for free. Next stop, Kaleidoscope. Another family favorite.  Designed for kids ages 5-12, this hands-on art experience let’s my kids create wonderful works of art for the refrigerator. And it’s free too!

3. Union Station - Every year I take my son to see the trains at the Holiday Model Railroad Experience. I think this may be his favorite holiday tradition. He can watch the trains go round and round the 8,000 square feet of tracks for hours. My daughter and I think it’s pretty cool too!

4.  CoCo Key Water Resort – Once you step inside this 55,000 square feet resort, you will think it’s summer, because it’s 84 degrees every day!  Touted as Missouri’s largest indoor water resort, CoCo Key is fun for the entire family. Thrill seekers, like my daughter can take on the water slides and the fast paced tube rides, and for those who just want to relax, the whirlpool is close by.  Two-for-one passes available at VisitKC.com

Create your own list of indoor winter adventures or feel free to use mine for starters.

Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Nov 18

Thankful

November is a time of reflection. To remember people and things we are grateful for. I am thankful for our veterans for their service to our great country.  I am thankful for my  children, family and friends. I am also thankful for Kansas City. In the past several years it has gone through a massive transformation and residents and visitors alike are reaping the rewards!

Here are four things that I am thankful are in KC (and that you should visit this month)!

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. It travels (Nov. 16–-19)
to KC every year. It is a show not to be missed. From the timeless classic Revelations to new productions, like Annointed, a tribute to Ailey himself,  each production is moving and expressive. Every time I see Alvin Ailey, I always leave wishing I had become a dancer. This year’s performance will be very special – I am taking my eight-year-old daughter. This will be her first time seeing an Alvin Ailey performance. I hope that she will be inspired as much as I am and that it will become a tradition for us. Read more

Oct 5

pumpkins

Pumpkins, Pigs and Ponies

School is in full swing and the milder temps feel wonderful. Fall is here. While the leaves haven’t really started changing, pumpkins are now on display all around our city. Which means one thing -  PUMPKIN PATCHES!  Our family loves going to pumpkin patches. It is an annual activity in our family and Kansas City has plenty to choose from.

We decided to go to Johnson Farms Plants and Pumpkins in Belton at 177th and Holmes Rd., since its stays open til 6 p.m., during the weekday and a short drive from our house. We went on a Thursday and we practically had the 140-acre farm to ourselves. It was great! My six-year-old son was in the chicken coop while my daughter was milking the wooden cow and I didn’t have to make them stay together. They could roam freely without worry (me, of course). But I suspect that weekends are entirely different. That’s when they have pig races, pony rides, a mechanical pumpkin chomping dinosaur and much more. Read more

Aug 12

Worlds of Fun_097_AA

Where Did My Summer Go?

Two weeks ago, I received an email from my children’s school, alerting me to some pre-school activities and reminding me of the first day of school Aug. 18th. Hmm. Surely school is further away than a few weeks. Nope. It is in fact the last days of summer.

I am excited about the start of school. My son starts kindergarten and my daughter is going to the second grade. They share in my excitement, but they also realize that some of their summer requests have yet to be checked off.

Where did the time go? The kids and I didn’t get in all of our summer to dos.

Summer started off great. We paced ourselves – we didn’t have to rush, we had nearly 3 months to get all of our summer fun in. Right???

Spray water parks      √ This kept us cool during those triple digit temp weeks. We have several in our neighborhood and it was an inexpensive way to keep cool while playing outside.

Worlds of Fun         √ It has been a couple of years since I’ve been to Worlds of Fun – what fun had I been missing! The kids LOVED the new Planet Snoopy with its seven new rides. Luckily, Planet Snoopy wasn’t very crowded so the kids were able to ride their favorite rides two and three times! Between the car and monster truck rides,the spinning Lucy’s tug boat, or the bounce house, I couldn’t get them out of the park – we stayed until the park closed. Yep, they were up past midnight!  Fortunately for me, we hit the roller coasters first. I was able to talk my kids into riding the Spinning Dragons, which they thought was fun. They thought they were cool that they were tall enough to ride the big roller coasters. So they were game to ride the Boomerrang. Bad idea it was too much of a thrill and they were really scared. Bad idea. So when it came to the Patriot, it was just my sister and I. It was AWESOME. We rode it twice! By that time the kids were ready to head to Planet Snoopy, so I didn’t get to the Mamba or the Prowler. But we have promised to go back before the park closes for the season.   Read more

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