Fontenelle Forest

I just learned about "mud pies" - a twice weekly event at Fontenellen Forest. It is every Monday and Tuesday from 930 - 1130, the cost is $2 for members and $3 for non-members. It is basically an open play but they have craft tables with all sorts of different crafts, painting, snacks, trail walks and big windows that look out to the forest (we saw lots of birds and Turkeys!) It was so fun, Sheridan painted for the first time, helped make a turkey hat for Thanksgiving and loves seeing the live turkeys. Here is the link to the Forest events - this is one we will definately hit again. http://www.fontenelleforest.org/events.html

Beautiful Day Fun!

Amazed with the unseasonably warm weather, the kids and I took off to spend the day outside at Schram Park. Almost completely empty of visitors, it was a great time to hike. Although the path was mainly covered by leaves, my trusty three year old tour guide never steered us in the wrong direction. Kids had a blast, next time we will go on the longer hike and take the dogs! They would probably enjoy it more than any of us.

A Consignment Sale Worth Visiting

The Kidz Shoppe Omaha sale opened yesterday. For those of you that are familiar with Reruns R Fun, this is kind of a West Omaha version. They sell clothes, toys, books, highchairs, videos, cribs - basically all things babies and kids. Prices are really good and quality is there as well. If you can hold out, Saturday is half price day! We went yesterday and found some good books, a couple kid lap tops and some pajamas. Here is the website if you want more info: http://kidzshoppeomaha.com/.

I also went to storytime at the library yesterday. It was fun, they read four stories and had some "wiggle" time in the middle. The end dragged out a little longer than I would have liked but Sheridan seemed to enjoy herself. The Millard Library is adding morning hours in October, so we will definately go again. If you want to find a library near you, visit omahapubliclibrary.org.

Tiny Town, Tons of Fun

My hair stylist actually recommended we check out this next place...Tiny Town is a little "town" right next to McDonald's by the Nebraska Outlet Mall (Gretna Exit). It is really a simple concept (can't believe I didn't think of it). It is basically a variety of wooden and plastic kid size house staged with kitchens and dishes and tools and books that kids can walk through and play. There is also a large cement slab with several different cars and push toys (this was probably Sheridan favorite area). A large blow up circus train - a bouncy house basically. A water splash pad and a train that goes around the park. At only $4.50 per person (plus $1.00 per train ride) it is a pretty reasonably priced activity. We went on a Sunday afternoon and there were maybe 15-20 other kids there, there is plenty of room so it never felt crowded. Some of the houses are starting to get a little run down and it appears they haven't replaced any of the ride in cars since they opened in 2004, but never the less Sheridan had a great time!

A place not suitable for an 18 month old...Coco Keys. I had a couple of free passes and since kids two and under are free Jon and I decided to spend rainy Monday afternoon at an indoor water park. Even though it feels like 100 degrees when you walk in, as soon as you get a little one wet and then she barely moves around - the shivering and blue lips start to appear. Most of the activities involve large amounts of water dumping on top of you unexpectedly, the slides are way to big and scary for a little one (plus they really hurt your back!) There were several kids there who were probably 7 or 8 and were having a blast, so definately some place I would revisit but probably not for several years.

Air Show, Books and More

This last weekend we hit up the Air Show - a FREE event (hard to come by these days). The event took place at Offutt Air Force Base. We parked at Bellevue University and although it took about an hour to get the base by the time we waited in line, took a shuttle and then waited in line again - it was a beautiful day outside and Sheridan was a trooper. Once we arrived inside the first display was a very fast, very loud and very "scary" plane....the tears started to flow and I started thinking maybe this wasn't the best choice for a little one. But, the next hour and half was filled with much quieter planes and Sheridan really seemed to enjoy the show. There were tons of people, but on such a large campus it never felt crowded...something I would definately do again.

Our latest favorite book (from the Library, but an investment we will probably have to make) - Jeep in a Sheep by Nancy Shaw - we read it over and over and over and over again.

This weekend this seems to be a lot of options - this is the last weekend of the Nebraska State Fair in Lincoln (and also the last year in Lincoln). Septemberfest is this weekend at the Qwest Center and is a little less expensive then the fair. 65 Years of Golden Book Illustration at the Durham Museum. Not sure what we will do...

Art Fun!

Last Friday both kids were so very bored with their typical routine (which is actually part of the routine as well!). After some searching online we found a class at the Joslyn Art Museum on Friday mornings. It was great for the kids. They went on a guided tour of one of the exhibits, the teacher was very aware of when the kids had hit their limit on attention spans, which was nice! After the tour all the kids were taken downstairs where they had an art adventure. SO MUCH FUN! They molded with clay, dug for treasure in a large bucket of sand, and played around with textured items in the clay. I also got a good tip from the teacher - when going out to eat, take the individual molding packets. Crayola makes them, they come in little white individual packs, we tried it the other night and it worked great! First meal we enjoyed in a long time. After the class we walked around the sculpture garden and took some cute photos! I recommend this to anyone with preschool age children (however, they were very accommodating to my little one and let her do everything that big brother got to do).

An Oldie, but a Goodie

This past weekend we were in charge of our 3 nephews on Sunday afternoon. They are 2, 6 and 7 years old...plus Sheridan created a pretty wide range of kids to entertain. I asked around and was told the Children's Museum would appeal to all four of these ages and Jon and I had been wanting to go so we loaded up the mini van (not ours) and headed downtown. Liam (the 2 year old) squealed with joy when we pulled around the corner and he saw the huge Elmo billboard right next to the oversized, colorful windmills. I knew he and Sheridan would have a good time but was a little worried about the older boys. I worried for no reason. All the kids had a great time, the two older boys especially loved the do your own face painting as they were able to become "Batman" with a little (LOT) black paint....I'm sure mom wasn't thrilled with us when we dropped them off. But, I would definately return. I had recently heard some mixed reviews about the museum - some had said it was often filled with daycares and field trips where children were unattended and reckless. That was definately not the case on Sunday. I do wish they had a morning dedicated to kids 3 and under - there were a lot of big kids taking over small kid areas and running around like crazy!! Guess that's what the museum is for though. I have also heard the Lincoln Children's Museum is pretty impressive - we're saving that for a cold day this fall. Below are a few pics from our adventure. Here is the Children's Museum website if you want to learn more: http://www.ocm.org/

Too Windy...

For balloons on Friday night, but it was a gorgeous night and we had a great time just sitting outside listening to live music. Once it finally got dark they did somewhat of a "light" show with the flames on the balloon baskets but no actual balloons. The event was very crowded and really spread out, but I would definately go again next year (pending weather).

And More Balloons!

If your like me and heading out of town this weekend, don't worry. There is another Balloon lighting event at Ditmar Orchards in Council Bluffs on Sept 11 - 13. I have never been so this year will be a first, but from what I hear it is smaller and not as crowded! Which is always nice.

Wish me luck, we are off to our first camping trip with the kids. Yikes!

Balloons + Wine = A Win, Win for All!

This weekend is the Nebraska Wine and Balloon Festival! Friday and Saturday night from 5 - 11 pm you can head out west for wine (or beer if you prefer), activities for the kids and live music. At 7 pm the balloons will launch and if your kids have a late bedtime you can stick around until 9 for a balloon lighting ceremony.

Our neighborhood must be in the path of hot air balloon rides because we often have many heading towards our house. Sheridan is absolutely mesmerized by them so I think this will definately be something we will check out. Cost is low...even free to kids 5 and under! Here is the website for additional information:
http://www.showofficeonline.com/NebraskaWineBalloonFestival.html