LuCk on the Run {Yale Peabody Museum}

Chuck and mom have been on Spring Break these last couple of weeks, so we've been knocking stuff off of our "Kids in Connecticut" bucket list. I've lived in the Nutmeg State for about twelve years, but I haven't been to the Yale Peabody Museum. Chuck has a good 30 minute car ride in her, so I knew the 45 minutes it was going to take to get to New Haven was pushing it. But, hey, it's Spring Break!  Although it no longer means trips to the Bahamas with friends, I figure we could push the toddler envelope a little, see what happens, and go on a pint-sized adventure.

The Peabody is on all kinds of "things to do in Connecticut" lists. So, why did it take me twelve years to get here? Honestly, no one has ever really had anything fantastic to say about it. In fact, most people refer to it as "dated", "boring", and/or "a dead zoo" (OK, that last one may be what I call the New York Museum of Natural History, but it pretty much sums up museums of natural history, right?).

This is when that whole "through the magic of a child's eyes" thing is helpful. In her two years of life, Chuck has been to three museums: 1) The Aldrich, 2) The Maritime Aquarium 3) Stepping Stones. She has never been to a Museum of Natural History. When we walked into the Great Hall with the giant dinosaur skeletons, Chuck was in awe. So much so that she looked up and said "wow, that's humongous". She didn't know where to look. There were giant dinosaurs in the center of the hall, there were smaller animal skeletons all around, there was petrified wood, and the skeleton of an archelon (an ancient turtle). Chuck's vocabulary amazed me; she was pulling words out that I didn't even know she knew (humongous for example). Yes, the hall was dated, but to Chuck it was amazing.

The museum currently has a special exhibit called Tiny Titans: Dinosaur Eggs and Babies. It didn't look like much when we walked in, but soon Chuck discovered some hands on displays. She sat down, grabbed a brush, and started brushing away clay and dirt to reveal dinosaur egg nests. Then, I did that typical mom thing; I gazed around the room wondering what else would be of interest to her. After she had brushed her fair share of eggs, I determined there was nothing else to be seen here.

That's when Chuck ran a little ahead of me, around a corner, and discovered baby emus! Real. Live. Baby. Emus. As part of this exhibit, the museum has an incubator with a bunch of emu eggs, and several baby emus! It's hard to say a baby emu is adorable, but they certainly make up for it in personality. They playfully followed Chuck back and forth behind the glass. When her little fingers poked the glass, they pecked back with curiosity. She was absolutely in love.

I should note that the museum also has a small, but lovely Discovery Room with a whole bunch of stuff for Chuck to get her hands on. They have pull out drawers filled with all sorts of specimens of fossils, insects, shells, etc. Chuck got up close and personal with a Madagascar hissing cockroach. The ferociousness with which she explores these things amazes me. While I tried my best to hide my bias, she dove right into the insect drawer. She even found a magnifying glass and knew exactly what to do with it.

On our way out, we stopped by the gift shop. They have a great collection of books, and other educational toys. I was most thankful that they divided the shop, very clearly, into kid friendly/adult friendly areas.

It probably took us about an hour or so to explore the museum. An hour gave us just enough time to explore all the galleries, and spend some time bonding with the emus. We've even been keeping tabs on our emus virtually through the museum's live stream of the nest!

Guest Post {Planning 101 for the Non-Planner}

I am many things, but crafty isn’t really one of them. Karen and Ally pretty much put me to shame with their clever playdates.  With them we’ve played with birdseed, made our own musical instruments and more. Playdates at my house usually consist of pulling out whatever toys I think might be interesting and letting the kids do their thing while the moms and I sip wine coffee and chat. Hey, it works! As my son’s second birthday was approaching I started to harness my playdate-planning energy into thinking about what kind of a party I could throw. I knew I wanted to do something at home. I knew that it would have to be indoors. And I knew the crowd would be a tiny bit bigger than my home could probably stand but we’d make it work.

Of course, after I had already invited people over Ally and I were chatting. “So, what are you going to do for the party?” “Uh. What?” “You know, what’s the plan?” I hadn’t really figured that out yet. Ally gave me some great suggestions but honestly most of them were beyond my crafting abilities, like her amazing idea to make a train out of old cardboard boxes that the kids could then play in and even decorate. Incredible idea for my Thomas-obsessed kid, but never going to happen. But when Ally suggested playdough- always a favorite in my house- I knew we had a winner.

In the few days before the party I made about 12 batches of playdough. I made it all into different, vibrant colors and added tons of glitter, because you can never have too much glitter. I was about to scent it all with some scented oils when I decided to hold off- with kids ranging in age from one to four I was concerned that some/all of them would be tempted to eat it. I stashed it away in plastic storage bags and we were ready.

On the day of the party we cleared away our small coffee table and lay craft paper down on the floor.  There was enough surface area that every child could sit and play on the paper (in an attempt to keep the playdough from getting on the floor). We taped it down with painter’s tape, tossed balls of the colorful playdough around and scattered the paper with different “tools” like mini cookie cutters and molds the kids could use to play. It worked like a charm! The kids came in and gravitated toward the big, open space and of course the playdough. They actually remained interested in the playdough for about 40 minutes, which was even longer than I had hoped for. They cut, scraped and molded (and maybe threw…)- all part of developing thos motor skills. There was lots of talk of colors too. And minimal playdough-eating. It worked out perfectly.

When the kids had moved on, we collected whatever dough we could salvage, gathered up the tools and then pulled up the craft paper and tossed it. After pizza and cake, the kids were ready to crash. The party lasted about an hour and a half- the perfect amount of time for a bunch of toddlers. This un-crafty mom was pretty pleased with the results and with my moment of craft success!  

Playdate {St.Patrick's Invitation to Play}

Today is St Patricks Day, so we decided to celebrate with a little LuCk Dough. It was a big hit!  When we arrived at Karen's house, Lucas was eagerly waiting at the table with a mountain of dough. Because it's St. Patty's Day, Karen dyed the dough green with a little food coloring. 

We love mixing dough with loose parts. I brought a rainbow of large plastic gems to incorporate into the dough. 

Lucas and Chuck really enjoyed this invitation to play. They both really enjoyed pressing the different shaped gems into the dough. 

If you wanted to add another sensory element to this project, you could mix in some gold glitter to bring a little pot of gold to this rainbow! 

Part way through playing, Lucas requested his trucks to drag through the dough, and Chuck happily brought them into the kitchen to play with.  When we were done, we had fun picking the gems out of the dough to play with again in the future....I'm pretty sure Chuck already has a project in mind. 

LuCk on the Run {Westport Winter Farmer's Market}

This winter, Chuck and I have been frequenting the Westport Winter Farmer's Market at Gilberties Herb Garden in Westport; it is part of our Saturday morning ritual. This market has been my (not-so) secret getaway this Winter.  It is housed in Gilberties spacious greenhouse where it is always a comfortable 75º. It has been an oasis for Chuck and I, where the samples flow freely. Depending on my mood, I can either get a green juice from The Stand or a Cold Roman espresso drink from RAUS Coffee Company.

The great thing about the Market being in a greenhouse, is Chuck really can't stray that far from me.  The bad thing is, sometimes I let my guard down and Chuck treats herself to cookies and apples (oops!).  Sadly, toddler smiles aren't worth their weight in gold.

Each week, I give Chuck her own market tote and let her wander around. Yes, I partially do it because it is 100% adorable to watch her toddle around the greenhouse, going from vendor to vendor.  I also do it because she loves picking out her own apples from the Woodland Farm stand.  Her sample apple is always handed to her with a smile.  Chuck has tried so many new foods at the market (and so has mom!) Corn chips and bread are still her favorite, but she has tried many different kinds of cheese, fruits, and veggies. I learned that she is a fan of hard cheeses, not so much soft ones.  She likes empanadas, and quinoa salad, not so much ravioli (seriously, what kind of kid doesn't like ravioli?)

Although the idea of eating seasonally has always appealed to me, I've always found winter to be a bit of a challenge in Connecticut. (Hey, Chuck loves blueberries after her dinner.  Who am I to deny her indulging in this super food?)  The Winter Farmer's Market offers a nice assortment of seasonal fruits and veggies.  Chuck picked out her own sweet potato this week, which we roasted along with a chicken for Sunday supper.   Last week we made beef stew with carrots and potatoes that we picked out at the market.

Because it is winter, the market carries a ton of other options other than fruits and veggies.  They have a great selection of meats, fresh pastas, canned goods, bread and fish.  Oh, and, baked goods.  So. Many. Baked. Goods. Chuck and mom may have developed a slight monkey bread addiction this winter (it's locally sourced and organic, that's basically like health food, right?)

We have loved our Saturday's at the Westport Winter Farmer's Market!   It has literally been a breath of fresh air this winter!  The Market is as kid friendly as you can get, plus the snack food is abundant.  They even have farm stickers for the kids!  What more can you ask for? 

The market runs Saturdays November 16-March 15th at Gilbertie's, 7 Sylvan Lane, Westport. 

LuCk on the Run {Maple Sugar Festival}

Last weekend,  Chuck took mom and dad to the Maple Sugar Festival at the Stamford Museum and Nature Center.  After many (many) weekends cooped up inside, we cracked out our mud boots, and took this show on the road.  We welcomed the balmy 35º weather, and a chance to enjoy a little fresh air! 

When you go to a Maple Sugar Festival, you expect to indulge in a little bit of the sweet stuff, so we kicked off our adventure with a pancake brunch.  Chuck loves pancakes, so this was a perfect way to start off our day! Chuck loved dipping her short stack in her own little pot of syrup.  

The Museum had a variety of activities scheduled for the day.  We have been to several festivals here before, so we kind of knew the lay of the land.  For those of you who are not familiar with the Stamford Museum and Nature Center, most of their festivals are set up with several activity stations around Hecksher Farm.  

After brunch, we walked over to the Maple Sugar House for a demo.They had a little scavenger hunt set up for the kids to learn about maple sugaring.  Chuck saw how they tapped the trees.  Mom & Dad learned that there are actually three different methods of turning sap into syrup (in case it ever comes up in trivia: The Native American Method, The Colonial Method, and the Modern Method.) We all had fun collecting stamps on our worksheet.  At the Sugar House, we picked Chuck up a maple sugar lollipop that kept her happy for the rest of our adventure. This kid is crazy for lollipops.
  

In addition to learning about maple sugar, Chuck enjoyed squishing in the mud, petting a bunny, bopping around to Music with Ray & Jay (we're big fans), and doing a little craft project.   This was honestly the most fun Chuck has had at the Stamford Museum & Nature Center.  This was the kind of family activity where everyone was happy; it was a fun day out for the whole family.  I think the only "let-down" was that they were out of syrup to purchase.  But, all and all, it was a pretty sweet way to spend our weekend.