Welcome to Moms Who P.L.A.Y. (Provide Learning Activities for their Young)

Welcome to our playdate blog!  Here you will find a wealth of information based on our experiences playdating with our children. 

This blog is based off of our facebook page where we schedule regular playdoates during weekday hours (Monday-Friday 9-5).  Activities are intended to give children the opportunity to explore and learn fun new things using limited resources and their imagination.  All moms are local to Northern NJ: Essex, Passaic, Bergen, and Morris County.

Please click here to join our facebook page if you would like to attend some of our events.
(please note all members will be expected to attend an event before group approval and to remain active participants in the group).

We welcome all ages!

Thanksgiving 2014!

I arrived at Katie's home first eventhough I took a scenic route across the George Washington bridge.  I was greeted by lots of smiles, autumnal decor, and that nostalgic aroma of a roasting turkey.  Any traffic woes I might have had melted away as we began our thanksgiving day celebration.  There was a bit of crafting with coloring hand prints and adding stickers but mostly the children enjoyed the toys and each other while mommies talked of thanksgiving traditions and some other fave topics- sleep, lack of sleep, baby wearing and more!  

We kept pretty traditional with turkey, mashed potatos, stuffing, sweet potatos, corn, green beans, collards, and brussel sprouts.  Emily N.'s fresh bread was a hit with young and all and Suzanne who did the honor of carvin' up the bird (as the saying went in my house) also made a scrumpitious pecan pie. (I can type pecan pie and never have to worry about pronounciation, hooray!) other goodies were pumpkin pies and an apple pie, all served with popular cool whip topping!

We shared many of our personal thanks which included gratefulness to our mommy tribe as well as our health, our relationships, and many other things.  We all agree: There is much to be grateful for.

I hope you enjoy a glimpse at today's heart and tummy warming thanksgiving.  Many thanks to Katie for hosting!  And happy thanksgiving to all moms who play, much love to all!!

Halloween 2014

Emily Neville hosted our second annual MWP Halloween party and it was another great time.  Snacks were plentiful and adorable costumes galore.

We showed off our costumes on parade and got some quality play time and reading in too!  

Apple party at Petruska Park

I was so happy to host an apple themed play date at the wonderful playground at  petruska park in paramus today.  A few mommas said it was a new destination for them and it makes me happy to share knowledge of such a great location.  Bathrooms and swinging benches are just a couple reasons it's a great park.

A lot of ladies packed lunches to have a breezy picnic and I brought some coloring pages and supplies to make apple necklaces.  Throw in some sidewalk chalk and there was something for everyone.  

A nice autumn breeze and colorful leaves all around, it was the kind of fall day that takes you back to childhood.  There was a lot of sharing, taking turns, mama fellowship to warm us all.  Thanks for a great day!

Brookhollow barnyard fall 2014

We love this place don't we? It's such an easy venue to have the littles- plenty to do but nothing overwhelming... The exception being perhaps some mean old guard geese threatening foul play!  But if you can brave the gander, then trains, sand, kitchens, and corn await you- all toddler size and that must feel good.  I am typing this from my car as I listen to the well earned snoring of a tired farm patron.

Big play September 2014

No, it wasn't our biggest in attendence but we did have big fun!!  The highlights were Emilie giving Eskimo kisses to Imagine and some tandem off roading with Davy and Henry.  

2nd annual ice cream making party!

Suzanne hosted a repeat version of Jennifer's ice cream making party! Nothing says summer like an ice cold creamy treat and when you make it yourself, well that's science and hard work mixed with fun. Sounds to me just what Moms Who PLAY is all about!

Jennifer says: To do this yourself you just need to put milk, sugar, and vanilla in a quart size zip bag.  Seal it up and put that in a gallon bag with rock salt and ice.  Shake like crazy until it turns into ice cream.  And adds that "Marie seemed to have the secret perfect balance of ice and salt cause her's was great."

Maybe Marie will let us in on her secret formula next year!

Dragons love tacos!

Turns out dragons have lots of things in common with toddlers: they can destroy objects in a matter of moments, countless myths exist about them, sometimes they breath fire, and oh yeah- they love tacos.  Emily N hosted a play date inspired by the book "Dragons love Tacos" which was not only a great time but has us thinking: why not more book themed get togethers?

Tie dye play date

Amanda hosted mama's to let out their inner hippy and show off their tie-dye genius! The results are impressive and each totally unique. Looks like the kids had a blast on the swing set too! Bonus: when your baby is wearing a tie dye onesie, it's like messy snack camouflage! Bring on the blueberries!!

Food Play dates: July and August

July's Food Playdate was a celebration of the summer salad.  Jessica hosted this event inspired by her own patriotic berry salad of blueberries and strawberries! Summer favorites were served up cool and in wonderful combinations.

August's Food Playdate the fruitiness continued!  The menu included tropical pineapple salsa, lots of fruit for dipping, and some Chicken Kofta Meatballs served with an apricot sauce.  If that isn't enough, it looks like the decadence continued with peanut butter banana shakes and my all time favorite treat all year round: guacamole!

Summer sure sounds like a good time to snack to me!

July BIG Play: Splash Pad!

Playing in water during the summer is fun for all ages.  Today the littles were treated to some big-kid-free time at the elmwood park splash pad.  It wasn't the hottest day we've had, but it was fun to run around and interact with all the different water features.  Comically, some liked it better than others. August's big play will be at the splash pad too so if you missed this one, you'll get a second chance!

Fairy and Gnome garden party

To celebrate Owen's half birthday I invited everyone to jump into their fairy garb and take a peak around my garden.  It was a fun little party to out together as I can always get carried away with whimsy.