Living Like Kings

The Factory

Hi again!

Long time no see. I haven’t really posted much here since school started. So this blog may be more active in the Summer.

However, The Factory held this event on Christmas Day which allowed people to register for 2 hours for FREE! 😃 Then the next group of people comes in for 2 hours. So on and so forth. It’s perfect for people that would rather give an experience over material things.

The Factory is an indoor adventure park here in London, ON. There’s a trampoline park, wall climbing, High ropes and zip lines, an indoor jungle gym for kids, an arcade, and much more.

Anyways, my teenager decided to stay home and sleep, so it was just my 2 little ones and I that attended.

This wasn’t our first time here, but it was on a holiday. The last time we visited The Factory was during the pandemic, and masks had to be worn. Plus I had to show proof of vaccination. So its been a year at least.

Anyways, we were going to start off on the trampolines, but the guy on duty by the stairs case didn’t let us pass because he said my son was too short. Strange, he was much smaller during the pandemic and got to go on the trampoline park. But whatever, onto the jungle gym! 😎

My youngest son loved the jungle gym. He had a blast climbing, crawling, sliding, and getting through the obstacles.

My daughter had fun as well, but had to take lots of breaks to rehydrate. Lol

Anyways, my pictures aren’t the best. They were moving so fast. Lmao .🤣 E for effort.

They also went to the Arcade and played some games.

They didn’t get any tickets for prizes, but they still got to play a bunch of games. They had fun regardless.

From there, we returned to the jungle gym, and the kids played for awhile until we decided to try the trampoline park again before our time was up. And this time, since there was a new staff member standing at the stairs, we got through!

Music:Live Free, Musician:Imprismed, Album:Imprismed, Source:https://www.vcg.com/

Anyway, I’d like to thank The Factory for providing us with an adventure on Christmas Day. I think it will be a Christmas they will never forget. In fact, as soon as we left, they wanted to start making plans to go back. Lol

Happy Holidays everyone! I hope 2023 brings you lots of laughter and love.

Lily and River love The Factory!!

Peace and love! – Pauline

P.S. I forgot to mention one thing. My son fell asleep shortly after returning home. He was so tuckered out, but he had alot of fun. He didn’t want to leave. So The Factory is an awesome place to burn off all that energy that kids have. Lol He was out like a light. 💗

Annual Family Pumpkin Patch/ Downtown Candy Crawl

Hi again! Long time no see! I apologize for the lack of posts, but school has begun in September, and since then it’s like my children’s immune systems need to adjust. It’s like they are always catching something every other week. So yeah, busy busy.

However, we did make it downtown on October 30th, 2022 for the Annual Family Pumpkin Patch & the Downtown Candy Crawl. Combined it was a free family Halloween festive event.

There were some local businesses handing out candy for the trick or treaters. However, finding them all was a bit challenging. In fact, one business was The Electric Hair, and silly me, I didn’t realize that they were one of the businesses that were participating in the event, I just thought they were super friendly greeting people downtown. Y’know? How lovely! 😃👍 Lol So we said hi, and kinda rushed off to the Convent Garden Market. Lol Sorry! I didn’t realize until later that they were listed on the map. I’m a genius. I know! Haha!

At the Convent Garden Market we went upstairs and seen a bouncy castle. So we got in line. There were some vendors, live music, people dancing, and displays to take photos at. Of coarse we got in line for the bouncy castle! The kids loved it! And would have loved to go through it again, but then you’d have to go back to the back of the line, and the line grew fast. So one time through it was enough.

From there, we went to the Dollarama and picked up some drinks to stay hydrated, and continued on with the Downtown Candy Crawl. Lily and River got excited after they realized they were trick or treating Downtown and getting candy. So we were zig zagging all over the place.

It was awesome to see lots of people dressed up in costumes. There were artists out painting on wooden displays, dancers dancing, a DJ playing music in one area, and there were musicians playing live music in another area. It made the event very stimulating, there was lots to see.

I even seen a familiar face at Grooves. Which was a wonderful surprise. Usually when I go downtown I don’t recognize anyone. But Yaaaay! I seen someone from the EVAC (East Village Arts Co-op) days. Glad to see them doing well. I think the last time I saw them was before the pandemic at Museum London.

There was also someone dressed as the Joker downtown, and they did a wonderful job with the costume. So much so, they were unrecognizable. It wasn’t until later that I realized that that was one of muh Twitter peeps!! 😀👍 Well done! 👏👏👏👏👏

Anyways, after some zig zagging in the core, we went to Budweiser Gardens. Which is where we remained for the remainder of the event. My youngest did not want to leave. There were 2 booths there giving out candy, a huge blow up Spider thingy ( which my son absolutely loved running around in), and a table with a huge coloring sheet on it. So we pretty much stayed until things were beginning to be taken down. My kids had fun. So much so, that my son refused to leave for a bit. He threw a fit! That’s how much he wanted to stay. Lol

But, usually when he gets cranky like that, he’s just tired. Which was case because he fell asleep on the bus on the way home.

So thank you to all the people that made those events possible. Downtown London, and all businesses involved. You Rock! My kids had so much fun!

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Peace and love! – Pauline

London Public Library – Sherwood Branch

Hi again!! I am sharing this a little late because all of this happened yesterday. But I think this outing needs to be added to our Living Like Kings blogs, and because it’s a place that can be often overlooked when planning an outing. We usually look for parks, or recreation, meanwhile our own libraries have loads if family fun activities that varies with every visit.

Anyways, the intention was to go to a nearby splashpad, so maybe we can get there another time before summer ends.

But this just goes to show that when things don’t go as planned, it could turn out for the best. Because thanks to our distracted detour, we missed the rain and remained dry. We were oblivious there was a storm outside. So it was a good thing we didn’t go to the splashpad. Sometimes you can take an unexpected swerve, and thats okay. Just go with the flow.

Since this was an unexpected turn of events, I didn’t have my library card on me to take out any books. But that’s okay, the kids had fun playing with the toys, and the little play ice cream stand there together and with other children.

I was surprised to see the toys have returned inside the library. During the pandemic and lockdown, all the toys disappeared. Including the train table that my son used to love to play with. So I ended up getting him his very own at home during the lockdown.

Anyways, during our visit, Lily and Riv even got a turn on the tablets there and did some digital coloring, digital building, and gaming .

At the library, there were families reading, some kids practicing to read, a group of youth gaming on the computers, others accessing the Library ‘s wifi on thier own devices… it was actually pretty busy, and it’s no wonder, many probably came in from the rain like a sanctuary. But at the library, there’s something for everyone.

If, and when you visit the Sherwood Forest Library, don’t forget to say hi to Mr. Bubbles the fish!

I really need to make a better effort to visiting Libraries more often. We used to go regularly pre-pandemic. And it’s nice to see them operating so lively again.

Definitely add the Libraries to places to visit, or tourist attraction list, there’s always something to do there.

Thank you for reading! If you like what you see here, leave us a tip at the PayPal link below! Tips help us get us out and about to more places. Much appreciated!

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Also, if you would like to sponsor us, or have us visit your tourist attraction, we can be contacted on the contact page that can be found within the menu. Feel free to reach out! Give us an adventure, and we give you publicity by sharing our experience! Win/ win!

Peace and love! – Pauline

Medway Valley Heritage Forest

Hi again! 😁

Today Lily, River and I decided to take a tour through Medway Valley Heritage Forest. One of London, Ontario’s conservation areas. We’ve visited Medway many times over the years. In fact, Lily’s been visiting this place ever since she was a baby.

Anyways, I love that London has these patches of nature trails within the city. It’s refreshing and rejuvenating surrounding yourself in nature every once in awhile, away from the hassle and bustle of urban city life. London is fortunate to have these scenic significant areas, it’s so needed for our mental health and well-being.

Medway Valley Heritage Forest is one of my favorite conservation areas in London. Not only is it a neighbor to the Museum of Ontario Archeology, but it’s rich in the history of the Attawandaron people. First Nations people. Sometimes, of you’re lucky, you might find fossils and arrowheads. I’ve found fossils by the river before. But I’ve yet to find an arrowhead. Someday.

Anyways, we went another route that I haven’t been down in years. The kids are bigger now, and can handle steep hills and climbing over obstacles on the trails.

Also, since it was a pretty hot day outdoors, we stuck to the trails that were in the shade. Today was one of those days to be grateful for the shade that the trees provide.

We had fun crossing bodies of water by balancing and hopping from rock to rock. Looking for sparkley rocks. We helped eachother get past muddy patches in the trail. We even stopped in a couple spots for a snack/ water break.

We did run into other people on the trail. There were a couple of men hiking around that told us where to look for turtles. And a bit about the benefits of the plants that we just happened to be walking by. One of them noticed that I am First Nations, and announced to his friend that they were meeting one of the people that originated from here…. Kinda. In Canada? Yes. In London? No. My roots are more up north. But I appreciate the recognition and respect. Thank you.

Anyways, we got a lot exercise by running, walking, and climbing. Good healthy family fun. Not to mention a good way to get a break from screen time.

Not exactly a playground, or wading pool. But nature kind of provides its own play equipment and wading pools with logs, stumps, stones, and shallow waters. There’s lots to inspire imaginary play. Good free fun! Outdoors! Yaaaay! 😃

Anyways, I went a little snappy with the camera while we were out. I can’t really help it when everything looks so lovely. Lol But on the plus side, more for you to enjoy!

Medway Valley Heritage Forest is stunning, there’s no denying that. It’s definitely a superb spot for positive quality family time, or a hike with friends. I love it here. 😀

Anyways, I think I shall end this blog here. If you like what you see here and would like to see more, leave us a tip at the PayPal link below! Tips help us get around with transportation. So it’s always appreciated.

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Also, if your business would like to be on this blog and have us review your tourist attraction, fill out the contact form to get in touch! The contact form can be found within the menu. You give us the adventure, and we give you a review and publicity by sharing our experiences! Win/ win!

Peace and love! – Pauline

Murray Park

Hi again!

So today, after we got some house cleaning done, we went out to another park here in London, ON.

The park we went to today is Murray Park. We’ve never been here before, so this was our first visit. However, by the time we got there…around 5:30pm, the wading pool was already drained. So we got there kind of late and missed that.

When we arrived, the park was busy. Lots of families came and went. Plus there was a mini soccer game, or soccer practice in the open field.

Murray Park is located off a side street that branches off Wharncliffe Rd. Wharncliffe Rd is super busy, but once you walk down Cliftonvale Ave, it’s almost like you walked out of the city into a small town. The environment changes from rushing traffic, to quiet streets that have a canopy of leaves above from the trees. It was lovely.

Anyways, the park! The park had wading pool (empty), a soccer field, a swing set and some climbers. My children spent most of thier time on the swings, but they did play with some children in the neighborhood. That was nice to see. And I just love how kids do that. It doesn’t matter which neighborhood thier from, or what they look like, they just see another kid to play with. So they do. No judgement. Just acceptance and fun. Everyone’s friends at the park! 😃 Lol I love it! Kids are awesome that way.

Anyways, there were 2 spinning play equipment thingys there. So my daughter spun, and spun, and spun til she was dizzy. And then did it again, over and over. Lol

After awhile my son had to go to the washroom. So I tried to contact a friend, but she wasn’t home. But thankfully she did let me know of the public washrooms by the wading pool. Genius me, I apparently tried to open the door on the wrong side of the facility. That door was locked with a padlock. But yeah…walk around to the other side and sure enough, there’s a door open. Lol 🤣 I’m full of brilliant moments! 😃 But hey, I made my friend laugh via. text messaging. So that’s a plus, I got someone smiling! Possibly laughing. That’s golden!

Anyways, this park was fun. And had we had more time, we probably would’ve checked out some nearby trails. However, even though this park was pretty easy to get to by bus. It was another story on the way back. Especially since buses have been de-touring lately due to construction. So after waiting for a little over an hour for a bus, we ended up calling a cab to get us back home.

It’s a good park. My children wanted to stay longer, but it was getting late. We stayed until 7:30pm. Then walked to Horton/ Wharncliffe Rd to catch the bus. It was around 9pm when I decided it was time to call a cab. Lol

Anyways, now we can officially check off Murray Park off the list of Parks to visit. 2 down, many more to go!

Thank you for reading! If you liked what you see here, and would like to see more, leave us a tip at the PayPal link below. Tips can assist with transportation to get us from point A to point B. Much appreciated!

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Peace and love! – Pauline

University Heights Park

Yaaaay to our first official post here on Living Like Kings!!

As I mentioned before, we are starting small. And what a good way to start small is with searching for fun things to do that are free, and accessible to everyone. Such as parks, playgrounds, splashpads, etc. Child friendly fun stuff.

So, we shall start with a family favorite park, which is University Heights Park. My 2 younger children and I have been visiting this park in London, ON a lot this summer. It does have climbers, and a swing set. But the main attraction of this park for my kids is the wading pool.

Seriously, my kids will be here from open to close every chance they get. They love playing in the water.

Sometimes they will play on the climbers, but that’s not what they came here for. Lol

Plus, there’s public washrooms nearby that are open and that’s a relief. AND water fountains in the washrooms to stay hydrated on those really hot days. Note to self, bring cups or refillable bottles next time. I think it would be easier to fill something up with water, than try to drink from these fountains. The one we tried was a bit sensitive to the touch so it just shot water high up. Lol Turbo power. 😎

Other than that, it’s an awesome park that my children and I enjoy visiting. We can spend hours here. And the life guards are awesome and super friendly to the kids. Super job! We thank you! 😊

Sometimes Lily and Riv will play with the other children that attend, or they will just play together, or sometimes my daughter likes to practice swimming or floating. It’s a good size pool for her to do so.

University Heights Park is like a little hidden gem. To get to it, you gotta take the back roads away from the main busy streets. And the surrounding neighborhood seems pretty quiet and peaceful.

I heard that there was an ice rink built here by the neighborhood during the winter. That’s cool. If that gets built again this year, we may have to come back here in the winter to check that out! 😃

If you get the chance, visit University Heights Park! My kids love it! This is one of many parks here in London, we’ll see how many we can visit before the Summer ends!

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed what you saw here, and would like to see more, leave us a tip at the PayPal link below! Tips can assist with transportation to go out on more of these wonderful adventures!! 😃

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Peace and love! – Pauline

Welcome – Idea Intro

Hello! Welcome to my new Blog site called Living Like Kings. This will be more of a tourism/ lifestyle type of space. Where my children and I check out places, explore, experience, etc. My hopes is to gain sponsors to sponsor in trade for publication/ publicity to promote their business. Wither it be events, or other family friendly activities. I will share photos of myself and my children, maybe even video clips in my posts about places we visit.

The idea is to live like tourists. Since that is something I do anyways on my own time, why not turn that into a job that I can do with my family? I mean, one of my goals is to give my children more experiences over material things. And I may have to get a little creative and use the skills that I have so far to accomplish that.

Hopefully by sharing our experiences, that will draw in some tourists. That’s the basic idea.

Thus, this is the beginning of Living Like Kings. 👑

Peace and love – Pooks