I was so thrilled to receive an invitation to the opening of the Free Range Lifestyle Centre. (Cnr of Kingfisher and Witkoppen in Fourways). For once, an event where I could take Nicky with! Similar to my experience with The Pear Tree, this is another place where parents can relax while their kids are taken care of.
The owner of the centre is Leigh Emmanuel, who also has a boy around the same age as Nicky. She started the venue to meet her need as a new mom to be able to connect with friends and enjoy good food, while her child could play safely and freely.
Nicky enjoyed the 0-3 playground which is right next to the eating area (The Lot Restaurant) so I could sit and keep an eye on him. (There is a 3+ playground too). They had a suitable play structure as well as two minders. There was also a slide with wheels. I took a video of him sliding down. Of course, afterwards he just wanted to use it like a scooter.
I then had a look around at the boutique shops (Pandaroo Jo and Calico Rose). There was a beautiful clothing store which had such flattering maternity and breastfeeding clothes.
There were lots of fabulous nappy bags that were very tempting. I certainly have a problem with bags….
I was so happy to see products from See Me Baby – I met Sasha at lactation consultant (Brenda Pierce’s) get togethers and she was also at the #JoziMeetup. If you are a new mom, you simply must have a baby wrap to keep your bundle of joy close and snug.
Train sets
The shop I really enjoyed most, however, was the Pangolin Toy Store. As a Montessori teacher (before I had Nicky) I liked the educational nature of the toys. The wooden train set appealed to me as something Nicky would enjoy. They had different ones in a variety of sizes and extensions you could add on as well. There were threading cards for when he is older.
In the end I got him “Nature Lacing Beads” which is labeled for two years old, so I think we will start there! We practiced a bit this afternoon. At first he could put them on but not slide them across. But then he got it. It is perfectly sized for him. As you can see in the pic he is trying to multitask by eating a yummy biscuit from the bakery (Not Bread Alone).
Right next to the toy shop there was a work station where kids were busy with sand art. This looked like a crafty way to keep them busy!
Clamber Club is also coming to the centre next year January. I have been to one of their classes before and we really enjoyed it. I still play their CD which has lots of action songs and nursery rhymes.
There is also a cooking school called “Olive Branch”. They did a cooking demo with us.
Unfortunately by this time Nicky was really tired and needed to go to sleep, so I missed most of the cooking class and what certainly must have been a lovely lunch.
Sometimes you just have to be a mom, though, and read the signals and bail! He had been up since 6am and though these days he goes to sleep around 12/1, by 11:30 he was finished. He fell asleep on the way home.
I want to say a big thank you to Leigh for inviting us and all the best with your new venture!
This looks lovely, wil keep it in mind. A bit out of the way for me but may be worth the trip
Thanks for this! Always looking for new places to explore!
Thanks so much for the kind words!
Loves xxx