My husband is a stay at home father, but I have the type A personality. I began ever so simply searching online for a few fun things to do. First we discovered toddler gym classes. So we tried them all! We have been to My Gym, Gymboree and the Little Gym. They are all different and all the same.
Free trial classes let you get a sense of what you will find. One surprising commonality is bubbles. All have bubbles and two out of three sing the same song about bubbles. There are also things to bounce on, climb on, roll in, swing on, crawl through and jump on. Best part...in the summer they are unlimited for the flat monthly rate.
My husband tells me that Brenton prefers My Gym to all the others because they have a zip line and a ball pit. I do not have a bias. I just know Brenton loves his gym classes.
I was so excited about it I started back to the gym myself, but the grown up version with ellipticals and resistance training. Sadly no ball pit nor zip line nor bubbles. But it's still worth it since after all I need to keep up with the toddler who goes to the gym. Yikes!
Next I stumbled upon the best find. Libraries. Libraries have amazing children's programs. Big blocks for babies, baby time, story time, activity time, free play, wooden train time, play dough chefs, and toddler rock are all part of the summer schedule. Best part...they are free.
So now there are options. Many options from which to choose. We officially reached the point of needing a schedule.
In my spare time I made a calendar for the entire summer. Day by day a list of different events at different locations all labeled and colored coded and time stamped. My husband knows library events are in red, Gymboree is in green, My Gym is in blue and Kid's music round is purple.
Also thrown in are impromptu event's like today's trip to a local mall where there so happened to be rides for children. Brenton liked the train very much. He has an affinity for Thomas the train and really anything that goes vroom.
My husband is an explorer and he finds other things to do. Sometimes they are strange, but always stroller friendly. He is socializing with other moms and dads and kids just love him. He always has a change of clothes, a few toys, a diaper, spare sippy cup and a snack. He is no amateur. He knows his stuff.
Bottom line is the schedule is wonderful, but sometimes the best days are the days where we throw the schedule out the window and just find something new to do like going to a new mall we have never been to an taking turns pushing the stroller while we try to find the elevator looking at crazy things we don't need or want and will never buy. Best part...being together and having fun.
