Today is my first official day of Stay-at-Home-Mom-dom, and holy crap - nobody told me it was going to be this cold! I do look awfully chic in my Stay Puft Marshmallow jacket from Joe Fresh but I think I might turn into a big pile of fluffernutter if I have to stay inside all day with two small children. In otherwords, this Mama needs to get out of the house before she goes nuts. But where, oh where, can my little frosty children go when it's minus a gazillion with the wind chill?
I have spent the better part of my life whining about the fact that my birthday is in the middle of winter - there's always a @#%& snowstorm! - and yet somehow I didn't worry about the fact that my first child was born just one week (and several decades) after me. Until I had to plan his birthday party. You see, you can't just throw some hot dogs on the barbecue and send the kiddies out into the yard to run around till they tire themselves out. Well, I suppose I could. But lord knows, I'm about done after a ten-minute brisk walk in the great white winter. I certainly don't think that sounds like a recipe for fun for the under five set. And just about every schoolmate of my son has had a party at the local indoor playground. It's sooooooo 2008. So, I've had to get creative. Here's some fun options I've found:
Real Canadian Superstore Cooking Parties: Or, upstairs at Loblaws, in otherwords. They offer an all-inclusive deal where the children not only get to make their own meal (there's a selection of kid-friendly choices, like pizza or tacos), but get to decorate their own personal cake to take home. The kiddies get to have lots of fun making a huge mess, and someone else cleans up. Now that's my kind of party. They also offer kids cooking classes to while away the long winter hours.
KidsWorks: Okay, okay, technically this IS an indoor playground. But with a twist - SAND. Real sand! In the middle of winter! They have a huge climbing structure, complete with slides, swings, a rock wall and buried treasure, all in sand. The kids took off their outerwear, boots and socks and ran around like crazy hooligans. It felt, for a moment, like it was the middle of summer and I felt the knots of tension leave my shoulders. Am I exaggerating if I say it was a little piece of heaven in the bleak midwinter? They have drop-in hours for the non-birthday inclined, AND a flipside to their space - The Fantasy Castle with a bouncy castle, trapeze flyer and zipline. Way cool.
Solar Stage: What's a party without a little drama? You may know that Solar Stage does theatre for young audiences, but did you know that they also do birthday parties? The package includes reserved seating for the show of your choice, acknowledgment from the cast, a present and use of the stage itself for one hour after the performance. Have some budding talent in your house? This could be the perfect way to remember a special date. Have an older child? You might be interested to know that the Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People offers the same type of thing - as well as excellent drama classes.
OK, so those are my top suggestions. Now it's your turn. How do you and the kids spend your days - birthday or otherwise - when it's too cold to go outside? I've got lots of time on my hands now, and I'm looking for some grand adventures. Give me the good stuff, peeps.
Kidspark at the Science Centre - just get a family pass; it'll be worth it.
Chapters/Indigo - when they get tired of stories, there's trains and kitchens and dollhouses and visa versa.
Ikea - cheap lunch and tons of places to stop and play. just don't try to buy a billy bookcase when it's only you and the two kids.
Bowling - a little better with an extra adult, but so much fun, and there's usually french fries.
Zellers/Toys R Us - whenever we walk into a store, Bee asks to go straight to the kids ection (yes, kids ection). So I make it an outing. we go to the aisle of Bee's choice, and I sit on the floor while they ransack the place. (yes, we tidy up afer ourselves)
But if you do have to stay home, make playdough, or invite 'the mess fairy' - that means, pour flour all over the kitchen table and draw in it. so much fun!
Posted by: kgirl | January 15, 2009 at 01:22 PM