TT Dad is on the board of the New England chapter of Wire Association International, Inc. There is an annual meeting at Mohegan Sun, in Uncasville, CT on the third Wednesday in January. In addition to being on the board, he is also on the committee which plans this annual meeting. It includes a speaker, dinner, and open bar.
I can share details on purchasing tickets if you feel like attending 😉
I had joined him once, for the speaker and dinner portion, and found it quite interesting, actually. Now that I was home with the duo, we had tossed around the idea of my attendance once again. At first, I wasn’t sure it sounded like a great idea. I just wasn’t sure what I would do with the two littles, while TT Dad was in his meeting. After our successful trip to VT and the duo’s successful day and a half at Treasures, we decided we could try Mohegan’s child care- Kids Quest.
Now, in general, this is not something I’d go for. Child care is a big deal to us, but Treasures had convinced us that we could have a positive experience, and that there was value in giving non-recurring child care a chance.
Once the decision was made, we worked out the details. Expecting a late night for TT Dad, we took advantage of the discounted rooms, and booked a Deluxe King Cove Suite for the night. We also made reservations for the duo at Kids Quest.
A quick call to the resort confirmed that two pack and plays would be in the room waiting for us upon arrival. Of course, we planned to pack our own, just in case… we won’t make that mistake again.
Kids Quest charged $12 per hour, per kid. We decided this was quite steep, and we would try to maximize our time away, and minimize their stay. TT Dad had to attend a board meeting before his actual dinner meeting, so he had to be there by 3pm. Originally, our plan was to arrive in time for TT Dad to go to his meeting while I took the kids and checked into the room. We’d bring them down to Kids Quest in time for us to get to the dinner meeting. This meant we’d be bringing them back upstairs very much past their bedtime, and most likely we’d be dealing (and Kids Quest would be dealing) with some cranky kids. No fun for anyone, especially since TT Dad may have to stay later than I would.
With this in mind, TT Dad worked hard to convince me that I would much prefer to sample the spa services, rather than sit through his meeting. He had to work really hard.
Okay, maybe not so hard.
I agreed, and we booked a massage at Elemis Spa, located at the Mohegan Sun Resort.
New Plans. We would leave late morning, right after lunch, and bring the kids directly to Kids Quest. I’d head to the spa for my massage, and TT Dad would head up to check us in, bring up our luggage, and then head to his board meeting. We arranged for the kids to eat dinner at the club. Their food offerings left a little bit to be desired, but we were able to find something we could live with. In between the board meeting and dinner meeting, we’d pick up the kids and most likely, they’d be ready for bed. TT Dad would go to his dinner meeting, and I’d stay in the room with the sleeping duo!
When we arrived, our first impression of Kids Quest wasn’t the greatest. We waited for someone to notice us at the check-in desk for quite a while. The place looked deserted. Finally, someone came, and took down our information, labeled our kids, and their belongings, and confirmed our food selections. The kids looked a little unsure of the situation, but they went willingly. We said our goodbyes, and they were whisked away into a room. There didn’t seem to be any way for us to see into the toddler room. I was slightly uncomfortable with the idea that there wasn’t any way for us to watch them, to make sure they were adjusting well, or any other such concern. I did notice, however, they had a monitor in the office, and I could see the kids being dropped off into the room on the monitor. I’m fairly certain I wasn’t supposed to be able to see, but it helped in the moment. TT Dad made small talk with the employee at the desk while I peered into the office and made sure our kids were okay.
My time at the spa was delightful, and I’d highly recommend Elemis, if you’re in the area, and looking for a spa!
I finished up a little bit before TT Dad, so I wandered over to Kids Quest to check on the kids. The office door was closed, but someone was standing at the desk, so I just let her know I was hoping to check in on my children, the twins, Z & G. She told me they were fine, and having a great time. I’m not going to lie. I felt as if she was just placating me. I don’t believe for a minute she actually knew who my kids were, or how they were doing. She definitely caught that I wasn’t convinced, and added that she had just been inside that room.
I stuck around the area, as I waited for TT Dad. Turns out, the duo was just starting their dinner, so we hung out for a bit while they had a chance to eat. Once they were done, we headed up to the room, and let them acclimate themselves to this new environment. We were surprised to find mini cribs had been delivered to our room, instead of pack and plays. Soon enough, they were ready for bed, and our routine ended up with two sleepy kids.
All in all, it was a very quick overnight trip, but the massage made it feel like an extended vacation.
Treasures is still in a league all its own, when it comes to on-site, nonrecurring child care. We were provided with a form from Kids Quest, detailing the basics of their day- diaper changes, and food. There wasn’t much else on there. At Treasures, the form included fun things they enjoyed doing, and activities they participated in. Hands down, Treasures was a better experience.
I’m glad we gave Kids Quest a chance, and tried it out, but we won’t be utilizing their services again until our kids are much older, and can play in the open area, instead of being locked away in the toddler room (and are old enough to tell us about their time!)
This hasn’t scared us away from non-recurrent child care in the future, however. We’ll be trying out some more options as we explore our world, near and far!