Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Day Out with Friends

FRIDAY:JULY 17

Getting out and about is still a tricky thing to do these days. Not so much because of organization....I have a fairly good idea of what I need in already pre-packed bags....it has just been so hard getting all my ducks in a row with also trying to comfort (always unsuccessfully) my increasingly crabby little baby. She just cries and cries, no matter what....and it only gets louder and horrific sounding when we put her down for any amount of time. Seriously, only a minute out of our arms and she is screaming at the top of her little hoarse lungs. It is quite sad and pathetic, really...and also a bit psychotic.

Anyhow, today, we took a deep breath and charged through our morning as quickly as we could, all screaming aside. We had to make the weekly, 35 minute drive to the lab in Edina (to check up on Coumadin levels), where we were met by my mom, who was kind enough to sit in the truck with all my kids so that I did not have to drag them all in with me. (Thank you, Grandma, from all of us!) Now more than an hour behind our planned schedule, we called our friends to give them the heads up that we had finally made it into the cities. From there, our day went beautifully well.
We met at the Children's Museum, which has always been a favorite for the kids. Before heading into a day of fun, we stopped at the Subway for lunch, just outside the hall. It was a busy time, smack in the middle of lunch break for the local businesses, and the guy in line behind me was not at all pleased with the number of meals I was ordering for my 5 children and myself, with my baby quietly sleeping(thank heavens!) in the sling. He kept huffing and making annoying comments to the person behind him and under his breath alluding to the ridiculousness of it all and how much crazy time this was taking off of his lunch hour. I finally turned to him and said, "You are lucky today....this could have taken a lot longer. I only have half my kids with me." Funny, he didn't say another thing after that.

After a healthy and satisfying meal complete with apple slices, yogurt, and milk, we renewed our museum membership and met our friends for one SUPER FUN day. Between the two of us, we had 12 children along, all in the same age range, and must have looked like a small summer school group as we moved from room to room. The kids had a blast playing with their buddies and exploring the new and beloved old exhibits within the museum. The Clifford room was still set up, and Melissa showed us her spot where she had spent the night just a few months before. The kids were thrilled to spend a huge chunk of time in World Works, playing in the water, making giant bubbles, building with blocks, and experimenting with light and colors. This is the room we usually leave last on our list, thus typically only spending a few rushed minutes on our way out. We must have spent 45 minutes playing here!






It was a cool 64 degrees at the Rooftop Art Park, but a blast all the same. We must come to the museum most during the winter months, because we had not been out on the rooftop since it had first opened several years ago. A soft, sandy beach, gigantic tree branch house, and more water play entertained the kids longer than the rain and cold breeze allowed us to stay.




The circle room surprised us the most. It is a temporary exhibit, which usually equates with less fun for the kids. They found so much to do, we could have stayed in there for an hour without complaints! Unfortunately, our day was winding down, and we still had to make it to their favorite room of all.....


Our World is an imagination paradise where the kids get to pretend to be nearly anything their heart desires. From bus driver to rock star, mail person to restaurant chef, crossing guard to doctor, the kids never run out of ideas in this room. This room also sports many benches in various places...perfect resting spots for a couple of tired moms and hungry babies to hang out and chat about the important things while the kids are endlessly occupying themselves without boredom.We spent more than 5 hours at the museum, not including lunch. That is longer than we ever have spent....and I think we could have easily been there another 5. Ahhh....what a great day out!

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