I'm always looking for new ideas for stuff we can do this winter to make it go by as quickly as possible, so I thought I'd share our list with you! Right now we've got a pretty good rotation down that keeps me sane and also keeps Maverick happy and busy. Don't get me wrong...there are days where we don't leave the house (and mommy does not cater to Maverick's every mood when he doesn't feel like entertaining himself) but these are some of the entertaining winter things we're loving right now...
Playground for Kids: This is a little bit of a drive for us (just a half hour to Ankeny), but sometimes a morning drive to get us out of the house is a welcome change. On Monday a friend invited us to come try it out, and Mav loved it! I wouldn't recommend it before walking-age (crawlers are free, but I think most of your time would be spent making sure your crawling baby isn't trampled), but you can bring in snacks and spend as much time there as you want! Mav lasted just shy of two hours. They have family passes, punch cards, and daily admission...I think we will do a punch card here next winter for sure.
Church: When we're on top of our weekly schedule, Mav has three opportunities to play with his buddies at church. On Sunday's during our regular church service, on Tuesday's during play group in the gym, and on Thursday's while I'm in Bible Study. Honestly, there's nothing better than sticking him in the nursery for two hours to play while I get to spend two hours in Bible study. It gives me the small break I need for a fresh boost of mom energy and he has fresh toys and kids to play with. There's a small charge for Mav to be in a classroom during Bible study, but it ends up being $4/week...which is basically nothing.
Chick-Fil-A: Do other people consider this an 'activity' for their child like I do? Mav and I like breakfast dates when it's not quite as crazy, but going over the lunch hour is fun too. We go about every other week to keep the play place entertaining (it's not huge...also something I like), and I sip my iced coffee. Josh does the lawn care/snow removal here and we like frequenting businesses that also support our family. :)
Mall Playground: This thing is probably not as much fun for kids over the age of three (or maybe four?) but Mav loves it. We can spend a good hour here too. A little more than that if we start our trip with a stroll in the shopping cart through the aisles of TJ Maxx. Bonus, then I can use their shopping cart to haul the diaper bag, baby, AND my coffee to the other end of the mall. Another fun place that's free!
Shopping Rotation: Between our bi-weekly trips to Sam's, Target, Fareway, occasional trips to Hobby Lobby, Lowe's, and Thiessen's...Mav gets to experience lots of new things just from our regular shopping trips for boring stuff like paper towels and toothpaste. He likes the samples and books at Sam's Club...the fake flowers at Hobby Lobby...and the free popcorn at Thiessen's. The equipment at Lowe's is always fun for him to get out of the cart and explore and I like getting out of the house to do some roaming for myself. We usually invite Josh along for the Sam's Club/Thiessen's/Lowe's trips. ;)
Swimming Opportunities: Every Saturday all year, you can pay $35 for five, hour long 'swimming lesson' in the warm therapy pool at Mary Greeley. It's so awesome. $35 gets you five 'lessons' (I'm using the term 'lesson' here loosely because it's really just floating around getting your baby/kiddo used to water...there is a sweet lady there as an instructor during the hour) and you can bring whoever you want to get in and swim or watch on the side. Last year I brought Jamie a bunch of times and my mom came to watch once. I'm planning to invite my G'ma along this year.
Certain hotel pools in Ames also allow open swimming for a small fee. Friends have invited us to the Country Inn (kids are $2, adults are $4 I believe?) and it's so fun to bring snacks and toys and have a 'pool day' in the middle of winter.
Day Trips: These are mostly for mommy and daddy, but we like loading up and going places on a whim, when we're able to in the winter. A couple Saturday's ago Josh got up and said, "when are we going to go visit my grandparents?" and I was like, "umm whenever you want." He said, "wanna go today?" and within a half hour we were loaded and headed up to the farm. We like taking trips to stay in the cabin at Twin Lakes, to visit Nana in Ankeny for some exploring, and to Manson to stay with my parents for a couple days every once in awhile. I want to make plans for a trip to see the Magnolia line at Homemaker's again and The Container Store in Des Moines soon, and Josh and I have our sights set on day trips to Pella, Boone, Dubuque and when spring comes, Independence and Dyersville.
Pumpkin Patch: I know taking your kid to a toy store just to play sounds a little weird. But the Pumpkin Patch downtown has a few play areas where kids are totally welcome to come do just that. We were there twice last month! There's a train table on the main level and then a kitchen area + more trains and activities upstairs. Sometimes we buy something, sometimes we don't. But I like knowing where I can get a unique kid birthday gift when I need one.
Reiman Gardens: Free day, on the first Wednesday of every month, is our favorite! There isn't a ton to do there in the middle of winter, but the warm butterfly room is small (just Mav's size) and fun to explore. During the spring/summer/fall, there is easily enough to keep kiddos busy for a couple of hours outside and inside. They sell year-long passes that are super affordable, but until Mav is 'running and jumping' age, I think we'll stick with Free Day.
Snowtime: Once or twice a week I bundle Maverick up (which he hates) and we go for a short romp in the snow. Sometimes it's just a walk up and down our sidewalk. Sometimes I make him put on boots and actually walk through the yard...a couple weeks ago we sat on the deck and threw snowballs against the house for a while. Either way, the whole process got us outside doing something, and I got some cute (sad) snow pictures for Instagram.
Mommy's Favorites: We do Mav-stuff quite a bit (obviously)..but there are days I declare MOM DAY and we hit my favorite places. Burgie's for a coffee date (Mav snacks on animal crackers and watches Einstein's while I visit), JB Knacker for some antiquing, the Story City Antique Mall where I whip through in 45 minutes or less while Mav enjoys a 'walk' in the stroller. I like stopping at Overflow on the first weekend of every month to try my luck at finding cute kid clothes for 50 cents each. Maverick and I both head to the salon about every eight weeks for a hair cut (him) and a lip wax (me). On days it's above freezing I like to bundle up and do a quick neighborhood walk. And I can't exactly pretend the HobLob and Target trips are all for Mav...they just happen to be places he really likes and I can mix in to the rotation of winter 'activities.'
Add in the visits to see friends and their new babies/kiddos... and I'd say we've been staying downright busy lately. I have a love-hate relationship about it, but Maverick seems to be pretty when we're on the go. When he stays busy he naps and sleeps better, and I get some of the social activity I know I should be more intentional about engaging in with other moms.
Happy February, everyone!
MmB
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