The Bikery

I don't think this quite qualifies as an outing but we got out of the house and the kids like this place. The Bikery is wonderful place to meet for coffee, European baked goods, or bikes. In between the bike shop and the bakery is a great area for kids to play while you enjoy your treats!

Teddy Bear Park

Anyone who lives in Stillwater and has little kids probably knows about Teddy Bear Park. Tucked into the descent into downtown Stillwater, it really doesn't get much better than this. Surfaces under the climbers and slides are rubberized so even my 11 month old can safely explore. There is a very large sandy area so feel free to bring some sandbox toys. My 8 year old is at the top end of the ages this park is designed for but he still likes to climb the cliffs. I especially like that there is only one gate in/out of the park and my only wish is that the gate latched. Oh... and it's free! (I'll try to get better pictures next time but if you follow the link on the right, there are some great pics of the park.)

Maple Syruping at Warner Nature Center

We attended the Maple Syruping open house at the Warner Nature Center in Marine on St. Croix a couple weekends ago with a friend and two of her kids. Everyone in our group, ages 10 months to 36 years old, learned something new and had a great experience. If you ever have a chance to attend an event there, I highly recommend it!

The Warner Nature Center is operated by the Science Museum of Minnesota and thus has great resources. Although the interpretive center is open to the public, the trails are only available for special groups and events so this was a great chance to check it out. Our oldest had been there for snowshoing with his school last year. They have summer programs for kids but I think they fill insanely fast.

Activities for this event including demonstrations on tapping a tree, collecting the sap, cooking the syrup (as the Native Americans would have done it as well as today), and ending with yummy maple syrup drizzled over ice cream.

Hands on activity: tapping a tree (not a live tree of course)

Nickelodeon Universe (Mall of America)

It was spring break and since we didn't go on "vacation" (as my son insisted everyone else did) we decided to splurge for the day and head to Nickelodeon Universe at the Mall of America. This is NOT a thrifty way to spend the day but worked well with our staycation. Audrey is finally tall enough (36") to go on some rides by herself and she has NO fear! John is also a thrill seaker who will go on any ride. For the big rides, the lines are shortest in the morning. For the little kid rides, there are virtually no lines in the evening. Too bad our family needs both! We love this indoor amusement park. They pack a lot of variety indoors and it is easy to step away from the hustle and bustle when itty bitties need a break or go buy a new pair of pants for a toddler who soaks through hers. My only complaint is that they could use some time studies to run the loading and unloading much more efficiently (yup, that's the engineer talking).
My tips:
-Look for coupons/deals/specials before you go.
-Pack your own snacks and beverages (we bought one bag of cotton candy to share on the way out).
-If you want to eat lunch there and it is busy, avoid the McDonalds line... there was no line at A&W!
-If you plan to spend a few hours or more, get the all-day pass. If you think you will just get the point passes, be sure to scope out which rides you want and figure the cost. Point passes never expire and if a chaperone is required for a small child on a ride, the chaperone is free (with some exceptions). I highly recommend grabbing a brochure at the entrance and scoping it out if you are not sure.
-Character meet 'n greets are free and you can take your own pictures. You only have to pay if you buy the pictures that they take.
-Lockers are really nice to rent if you don't have someone to sit with your stuff for every ride. You have unlimited access for the day.

Service projects

John (3rd grade) was encouraged to complete a service project for school totalling at least two hours. If he volunteered with his family, he could include our hours as well. Since all the snow melting reveals litter, we decided to spend our time picking up garbage in the neighborhood. We only made it around one block but at least one block looks pretty good! If anyone is looking to do some family volunteering, I highly recommend Doing Good Together (www.doinggoodtogether.org). You can subscribe to get their newsletter as well. There are a lot of great ideas with varying levels of difficulty.

Minnesota Zoo

You can never go wrong with the Minnesota Zoo! We have a membership so not going would just be silly but we tend not to go in the winter which is a mistake since there is plenty to do indoors. They still are not doing dolphin shows but they are available for observation. It has been a long time since I did the Minnesota trail and had no idea how much it has been updated. We spent most of our time there! The kids really liked the tropics trail and we are very excited to see the crocodiles that are coming this summer! We saved all the outdoor exhibits for the next trip.

Knitting mahem

So I bought a bunch of gender neutral yarn to make a baby blanket but didn't like how it was crocheting. Fresh from knitting longies for Samuel, I decided to knit a baby blanket instead. Then I saw the nursery colors and it doesn't match the greatest and the colors I would really like would cost over $100 to make the blanket. I started a pair of booties but made a major error and have to rip most of the first one apart.... ugh. So I am left with a lot of yarn and am still not sure what to do! As the nice person at the yarn store said, "I knit therefore I rip." Too true. I hope Darn Knit Anyway will let me return 5 of the 6 skeins I purchased!

Bakken Museum (Electricity and Magnetism)

Last weekend we went to the Bakken Museum in Minneapolis near Lake Calhoun. Unfortunately, there was a special family day there for Medtronic so it was very busy but we still had a nice time. A lot of the displays involved reading/looking but there were several hands-on activities that my 3rd grader, John, enjoyed. My 2 year old seemed to have fun also but I would not have gone there specifically for her. The highlight of the trip was the mind control game where you have to relax your brain to get the ball to move down the tube to the other player's side. Poor John could not relax enough to beat me (and I was trying to let him win) which was frustrating for him but then another child took my spot and it was a little more evenly matched. John also enjoyed anything that allowed him to generate a spark. Audrey (2) liked the display for comparing heart beat rates for various animals which to her was like a puzzle. We would have spent more time there but it was just too crowded and I always felt like we had to give someone else a turn. We will probably try again in the summer and see their gardens and maybe bike around Lake Calhoun.

What else can I sell?

I just took some children's clothing to a local child to child resale boutique and walked away with $51.50. I may have earned more by listing items individually on ebay or Craig's list or having a garage sale but then I'd have to deal with the individual transactions or the hassle of the garage sale. As it stands, I have the cash and don't have to think about it any more.

However, whenever I sell something I look around my house and wonder what else I can sell. It even gets my 8 year old in the mood to earn some money by selling his toys... although his prices aren't all that realistic. No, I don't think someone will buy that Hotwheels car for $5. This weekend I will challenge my kids to pick out 5 items they can sell. It won't make a dent in the overflowing toy bins but maybe it will get them in the selling mode.

I have a follower!

I have a follower to my blog! Okay, so it is my cousin, but still! Thank you Julie, I now feel motivated to maintain this!

MN Children's Museum

On Wednesday we went to the Minnesota Children's Museum with a dear friend and two of her kiddos and had a wonderful time. I have to remind myself that we don't need to see everything on every visit and let the kids lead the exploration. Of course, there were tears when it was time to go and the naps began before we made it home!

Library story time!

We made it out to library story time at the Lake Elmo (Rosalie Wahl) public library. We were running late (like always) so I missed the introductions. We used to go to the Stillwater public library for baby story time with Gail but I think she is leaving which is too bad because she was amazing. Overall, it was a great experience for the preschool story time at Lake Elmo. It is a small library with a large selection of children's books and Audrey enjoyed herself. Samuel had fun crawling over the cushions! Several stories were read with a jungle theme. At the end, all of the kids put a sticker on their snowflakes posted on the board (Audrey got to color her snowflake since it is her first time). There were also coloring sheets available. Of course, you can't beat the price and we will certainly return next week!

Getting started

Being an engineer turned stay-at-home mom, my family often laughs at my approach to running my household. I am kinda thrifty and kinda crunchy. I say that because there are items that I still like to splurge for and I am not ready to give up toilet paper. Many have taken this path before me but being an engineer I am CONSTANTLY looking for better ways to do things... even if they are never implemented or practical.