Play Date Foundation hosting free Friendsgiving Playground Hop November 14

Welcome back to Real Milwaukee here. It's a local organization helping kids and parents connect through shared experiences. That's right. We have Monica Hidalgo here with Playdate Foundation with some details on their next meetup. So good morning. Good morning, how are you? Hi, good morning. I'm good. Thank you so much for having me. Thank you. Okay, well first let's talk about the Playdate Meetup because as parents, you know how important it is to try to find your people. Yes, sometimes we forget about our own adult time and organizing. We get so busy with scheduling our kids' activities, so this is a great opportunity to... Do the job for all parents and bring kids and families together. Yeah, I love this because when sometimes new parents don't really have an outlet or their friends don't have kids yet, or maybe their kids are older, then you need to meet kind of new parents. And it usually happens maybe at daycare first. But this is a playground. It's the best place to do it. And there's two opportunities this coming weekend. Right. There are two opportunities. We have November 14th at 10 a.m. at Atwater Beach. And then we have a solo parents event at Station 56 in Milwaukee, and that one is also free, and it's December 4th. Nice. Perfect. I was looking at your website before, too, and I noticed that in addition to some of these play dates, you have different themes, too. Yes. So folks can try to find something that fits maybe for... Not necessarily a holiday, but a theme that kind of gets the child involved in a different way. That's right. We are going with the seasons, we're going with the flow and whatever is in in the moment, and we definitely want to make it a fun activity and opportunity to explore some outdoor things in Milwaukee. You guys are exploring at the same time that you're actually handing out some sweet treats as well. I think that's the best part for kids to keep them. Fed and make sure that they can continue to play. I did misspeak earlier. It's the 14th that the first event is happening, not this weekend. So what are the sweet treats that you're going to be handing out at the park? So this is just an example of things that we do normally. These are granola and actually protein balls with some fruit. But for the event on the 14th, we're going to be making this quick, healthy hot chocolate. Normally hot chocolate is something that it loads up our little kiddos with sugar, But it's just, you know... It's a great opportunity to find an alternative. I personally love this brand. It's ready to go. It's really easy. I am using oat milk from Metro Market. Yeah. And like I said, we're doing it outdoors, so it'll be super easy. Okay. If you want to go ahead and stir this one up. I'll stir that one up for you. Yes. Thank you so much. And it'll be that nice, warming, and easy. And then for the granola bowls, we have some berries, golden berries, banana, to just charge up and energize the families and the kiddos. And I love that you're also giving some parents some ideas, too, because how often are we trying to, you know, make a snack box for the kids or do something that they want to eat, but have it be tasty and give them the nutrients as well? Right. This one hides the protein, hides all the goodness. I've never seen this. Share about this protein. Yes. So this is actually a new brand that I just came across. And I am so excited because it's got no fillers. It's really rich in protein. And it also has more than just the typical, you know, animal parts that sometimes you see. And so this one's high quality. It's organic. And it's rich in amino acids. So I think. Yeah, I've been loving it so much, and my kids are loving it. It's grass-fed, too. Now, you have kids that are in their teens and close to their teens. The Playdate Foundation is meant, though, for, what do you say, the age group? So it's any age group. One thing that we're noticing and realizing is that older kids actually help with the younger ones, and they're all interacting with one another and making friends. So every age, pretty much, from three to even little babies can come with a parent. And you made a good point in terms of making friends, because sometimes it's so tough. Kids get clicky at school, you know, but this is a place that they can come and find someone that is looking to make a friend, too. And sometimes you just need that. Sometimes you just need that, especially when it is hard sometimes to find people that are available, that maybe your friends are busy, or maybe you don't know how to, you know, your friends don't want to go outside necessarily. This is an adventurous spirit, and I think that we'll have... You know, that nice thing in common. And with the adventure there, this means that the parents should be with the kids at the adventure. It's not a drop-off by any means. This is not a play date where mom and dad or dad or mom gets to scoot. Right, so the reason we want to make it this way is when we enjoy having our friends play together and we are making friends with the other parents, we don't feel like we need to drop them off and run away. We actually want to hang out with the other parents we make. Oh, and that's okay. You know how good it is to have a mom friend that gets you and gets kind of what you're going through at that stage of life, too? Because sometimes things are tough, you know, and you just need someone to relate with and also let them play while you take a moment to exhale for a second. Right, right, right. What have been some of the benefits It's because, obviously, you're with the foundation. What have you seen, aside from what we've discussed already, for the parents, but also for the kids? Because it's more than just that one-time meetup for a lot of them. Right. So, after the second time, third time, they recognize each other. They know each other's names. They want to ask each other's numbers. They want to ask, you know, are we going to see them again? So, that is where the heart is to us, seeing new people. Would not have otherwise met in our area, in our city, now be able to share, you know, realities or their own realities. Yeah. Purpose we want to meet up after. The beginning of a friendship is a fun thing. And I like that point, too, of getting outside of your own comfort and bubble within your own community and meeting some people new, getting some diverse friendships as well. That's right, yeah. All right, so we're going to be at Atwater Park, the first one on the 14th, like I said, I misspoke earlier on, and then Upper Level and Shorewood. The second stop is going to be Lake Park Playground. And the big part of this, I think people are probably asking immediately, is there a charge? It's free. It's free. All you have to do is go on the website, RSVP. It's through Eventbrite. And that is just so we can help out and count on ingredients. I'm looking at the website, guys. It's playdatecommunity.org. And this is really cool. Just go to it. You can sign up. You can RSVP. You can also even you have a jingle ball bell that's coming up. Yeah, that is pretty fun to have a parents night out, a holiday recess. So there's just a lot of different fun events even going on past November. And even like a community chat. So this is a real good place for parents and families. It's a great place. All right. Well, we have that going. I'm sure that we'll probably see you again when the holiday version of this one comes up a little bit later on. Well, thanks for taking the time and all the hard work you guys are doing over there. Great ideas. And keep those kids happy, fed, and getting some energy when they're outside. More Real Milwaukee coming back after the break, guys. Let me see the cocoa. That looks like a good one.