The Butterfly Place, Westford MA

One of the more annoying things about Groupon is that I end up buying things that I probably wouldn't have if i didn't feel the pressure to 'buy now or forever hold your peace'.  A few months back there was a deal for The Butterfly Place in Westford.  I thought "Hey cool!  that would be fun, and look how much I'm getting off!"  Then the months went by and it was no where on our list to go.  I tried a few times to make plans with people to go, and they somehow always fell through.  Today we decided to venture out there on our own, something I try not to do often!  I don't think I really need to explain why - there's nothing worse than bringing the 3, 2, and not-quite-1 year old somewhere and realizing I'm in over my head.


Nonetheless, after a very short workout at the YMCA, we got on the road to Westford.  For those of you who aren't familiar with the area, its in the Lowell area.  As we were driving the skies opened up and I was terrified that this was going to be a bad idea.  We got there, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised.  It was so easy to find, and plenty of parking.  I decided not to take the stroller because most butterfly places I've seen don't allow them.  So I packed Riley into the Baby Bjorn and ventured in.  When you walk in there's the 'gift shop'.  It's not all that impressive, but they were so friendly.   I'm actually glad it wasn't that impressive of a shop, since the kids would have wanted more than they always did.

We walked back into a display room and the kids were so excited! There were a few cases with butterflies and some with cocoons.  They were pretty excited here and I thought it would go really well.  We walked back into the "Garden".  I thought it was just beautiful.  So many butterflies flying around.  We quickly recognized the Blue Morpho Butterfly from Go Diego Go.  Unfortunately, the kids were a little uncomfortable.   Patrick (3) did alright when I had him on a mission to find yellow flowers.  Cecilia (2) liked the butterflies, until she realized they were flying around her.  We sat on a bench to stay still to see if they would land on us.  Cecilia was ok once she settled in under my feet.  It was a bit of work to keep them in the butterfly room, and we really didn't last too long before we had to leave.

The Groupon had a balance so we needed to pick up a few things in the gift shop.  The kids picked out butterfly nets and we headed home.  The entire excursion took just about an hour.  While it was beautiful, for us at these ages it wasn't worth the trip.  We still can go and see butterflies at the Franklin Park Zoo.  While this has no where near the concentration of butterflies, the kids still get a few minutes to check it out and it's somewhere we already are. 

The Butterfly Place
120 Tyngsboro Rd
Westford MA
978-392-0955

Strollers ARE allowed in the butterfly room!
February 14th - March 31st: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
April 1st - August 31st: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
September 1st - October 31st: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Adults ..........................................$12.00
Seniors (65+) .............................. $9.00
Children (3-12 years) .................. $7.00
Children (2 & under) ...................Free

 

Constitution Beach, East Boston

So it's been a while since I've posted.  This year has been a busy one for us as three out of our four siblings (my husband's and mine) are getting married!  I've been a little lax on posting about our adventures as other things have taken priority.  Even so, we have been exploring and have so many great places to post about.  (Leave some suggestions for us as well!)

So, beach and three kids?  Let's just say, I am not a beach person to begin with - I burn, don't like swimming.  To throw three kids into it is my own personal nightmare.  I'm worried about them in the water, the waves, the rip-currents, the inevitable sunburns, sunscreen in the eyes (not a fun ER trip, trust me!).  So many of my friends spend much of their summer at Salisbury Beach Reservation.  I have never gone, but I know they love it.  My mother and sister also love going to the beach.  Today they were both on vacation and wanted to spend the day at the beach with me and the kids.  I reluctantly agreed to go, and I must say I'm glad I did!  I think this is a great beach for kids.  Constitution Beach is really a great space!  It's the only beach in East Boston, and this website gave some really great information.  My understanding is that year ago this place was a dump.  The city successfully cleaned it up and then shipped in sand from the Cape.

There are so many reasons that I think that this place is great for kids.  One, it's located right across from the airport.  For the kids, what could be more exciting than watching planes taking off and landing just across the way.  (It is actually quite cool to watch, even as a grown up)  For me, the beach is sheltered from the airport.  This means that the currents are almost non-existent, and the waves are perfect size for toddlers/preschoolers.

Two, there is a fenced in playground just off the beach!   It's clean, and it's a good sized playground.  Just behind here runs the T's Blue Line.

Three, There are restrooms and changing rooms at the beach are in pretty good shape.  The area's equipped with showers for rinsing, and there's a concession stand there as well.  (We packed a picnic lunch and Nana brought the treats so there was no need).

Four, the parking is right there, behind the playground and runs the length of the beach!  Or you can park on Bennington St. and take the pedestrian walkway over the subway tracks.  I'm not sure how easy this place is to find without a GPS.  I'm fortunate to have family live in the area, so we meet there and head over via backroads. 

It looks like this is a popular place for the local camps to bring kids for some outdoor fun.  So at some points the playground was a little busy.  This was fine since they groups came and went.  One YMCA group set up a snack station for all the little ones at the beach with juice boxes, crackers, and some other snacks.

There are many other things to do here.  I'm fairly certain I spotted some tennis courts, softball field, a basketball court, and there's a skating rink just off the beach. 

I don't have a beach tent, so we took the tented wagon for the baby.  This worked out great, and I also had many extra hands to help me manage the little ones.  They loved running up and down from the water, watching the boats, planes, and trains, and running back and forth to the playground, just as I knew they would.   It ended up being a great day at the beach - not crowded, lots to do, and the excitement over the airplanes only 2,000 feet away didn't fade away.  If we end up looking to spend another day at the beach, this will likely where we end up. If you and your family love the beach, this is definitely worth the trip.  Despite having a great time, I just don't think this is something I could do without help, so it will have to wait for another vacation day from a family beach-goer, or for a year or two from now when the babes are a little older!

Boston Children's Museum, Boston

I decided to be brave and courageous yesterday and bring the crew to the Boston Children's Museum.  While it's a great museum, and there's lots of fun to be had, this is absolutely not a place that I will be returning too anytime soon, (unless, of course I have extra reinforcements that are totally dedicated to me and my kids!!)

 As you can tell, I certainly don't shy away from exploring the area parks, playgrounds and attractions.  I try to keep calm and not get stressed out because children can feel that stress.  Me getting stressed out makes them worse, and ultimately gets me more stressed out.  So, I generally try to maintain my laid-back attitude when bringing the clan out and about.   It took us a little while to find parking, and get our bearings in the area.  But we found parking ($19.00).  I think it was the closest to the museum.  It was a little tiny lot where the attendant had to park the car for us.  It took awhile to unload.  I decided to bring the double stroller, Baby Bjorn, and the sling carrier.  We also had packed a picnic lunch to enjoy on the waterfront.  

Once we got into the museum, I sensed that I might be in over my head.  It is the end of the school year, and apparently 11am prime time for elementary school field trips.  Can we say chaos?  As soon as we got in, Patrick flew into the climbing structure.  Cecilia made her attempt, but fortunately she didn't have the height to get up too high.  For this age group, and with three kids, my biggest complaint is that I can't see them in this structure.  At one point, Patrick had climbed down, and I saw him come out.  I didn't catch him quickly jump back in because I had grabbed one of the other two.  We thought he took off through the museum.  After what seemed like 15 minutes, and was probably one 2 or 3, our friend noticed him in his neon orange shirt at the top of the structure.  Be aware, this is not something that an adult would want to climb up into, and thank god I didn't have to because I'm not sure what I would have done with the other kids! 

I really wish I could do a better job describing the layout to you all, but honestly it was so tough to keep on top of them (even with help) that I couldn't tell you where anything was!  So here, check out the map! 

We did explore most of the museum, though not all.  We tried the third floor, and then headed outside for lunch.  There's an Au Bon Pain in the 'milk bottle' which would be great on warmer summer days.  It was a great place for lunch even though they were closed.  We then headed back in to check out the other floors.  The kids LOVED the bubble exhibit on the first floor, as well as the water tables on the second floor.  There's a great construction room that Patrick loved when  we went about two years ago.  This time, Patrick was so overwhelmed with how much there was to see that he couldn't pay too much attention here and just wanted to keep moving onto 'bigger and better things'.  At the very end of our visit we learned there was a 0-3 center that was GATED.  I wish I was able to pay better attention to the map when we first got there.  Perhaps we could have prevented "Lost Patrick Round two"!

So the nitty-gritty:

Boston Children's Museum
Congress ST, Boston.
Parking: ample parking at various lots around the museum.  Almost all parking is at a cost.

Hours
Open every day 10am - 5pm
Fridays 10am - 9pm

Costs:  Adults: $12.00
Seniors(65+): $12.00
Children (1-15): $12.00
(0-12 Months): Free!
Members: Free!
United States Armed Forces Active Duty Personnel OR one of their dependents will receive complimentary admission to Boston Children's Museum with appropriate ID.


And Check this out: $1.00 Friday nights from 5-9.  This is sponsored by Target!


There are also library passes that offer a discounted rate.  If you are a member of a children's museum, and have a Reciprocal pass, admission is free. 

Bailek Park, Ipswich

What a great park we went to today!  It's called Bailek Park, and it's on Linebrook Rd, in Ipswich, MA.  We'd never been and decided to go check it out.  It's fun trying out different parks!  Anyways, this has a 'new' section that was built in late 2009, with an older wooden 2-5 structure.  It's a really cool park.  I really can't do much in terms of describing it, but I did remember to take some pictures for everyone.  The kids had a really good time.  Positives: lots of fun structures to play on.  Mostly fenced off from the road.  Parking: today seemed to be plenty of parking, but since this park is with several ball fields, I think it might be a bit more difficult on busy days!   Negatives:  No shade!  We all left with some color, and the baby unfortunately got a bit of a sunburn since she's photo-sensitive due to meds.  There were also a few broken things, the large swing (see pictures below) and one of the play structure had a sign saying not to use until it's replaced.  It did look like a new sign, so hopefully it's fixed soon.

Totplex, Canton MA

I packed up the kids, and headed down to the Canton Totplex to meet a friend and have all the kids play together.  I heard about it from another mom's posts on Facebook.  She really enjoyed it, so we figured this was a good halfway point between our two towns.  The Totplex is actually part of the larger Sportsplex.  They have several programs, but we were there for the indoor playspace.  It was not too far from the highway, but at the end of an industrial park.  We had a very hard time finding it, since I couldn't find any signs saying either totplex or sportsplex.  After driving around and around, I decided this must be the place due to the number of minivans in the parking lot!  We headed in.  Basically, this is a giant complex with ice rinks, indoor fields, locker rooms, etc.  The totplex part of it is actually just a large indoor soccer field (maybe lacrosse) with a bunch of toys.  There were a few inflatables, some infant exersaucers, cars, playhouses, and the kiddie coasters.  It was very wide open with lots of room to run.  I had purposefully dressed Patrick in a neon green shirt for easy watching!  This proved to be useful as he literally ran from one end to the other for the entire time we were there. 

This was a great place for multiple kids, since I could keep an eye on them.  Although, it is a huge place and you could end up with one kid at one end, and one at the other!  What I liked most about this place, was that at the entrance to the playspace, there are staff members who don't let the kids leave!  Everyone has numbered tickets/wristbands that match.  (for example, we were all number 14)  This also proved useful when Cecilia had enough playing and wanted to go home.  Great safety feature that I wish other places implemented.  There were a few downsides, the biggest being the condition of the turf.  It appears to be deteriorating, and little bits of the floor were coming through the turf.  With Riley being such an active crawler/roller, she ended up covered in little black bits.  I thought they had great inflatables, but found that most of the toys were things we had in our yard or friends yards.  Still, this is great for those long winter days.  We won't be there in the summer, that's for sure!

Canton Totplex
 5 Carver Circle •
Canton, MA 02021 •
Telephone: 781 821-0304 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              781 821-0304      end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Hours: Monday - Friday 9-2 pm
September 13, 2010 - June 13, 2011
closed on all school holidays and vacations.
Cost:  $8.00 per child.  (Discounted rate for more children)

Discovery Museums, Acton MA

I've been a bit lax in updating this blog the last few weeks, not because we haven't been going anywhere, but more because we've been going everywhere!  We had a whole 10 days straight of heading out an about.  Some of the places I've already written about, like the two zoos, and Ackerman/Boy Scout Park.  And of course we've been off visiting friends.  We did check out some great new places! 


One of those was the Acton Discovery Museums.  Wow!  Can I just say, this was probably the best place I've taken these kids!  It was a little bit of a drive, about 45 minutes from Wenham, but it was so worth it!  Can you imagine, we spent three hours at this very small museum, and didn't even come close to seeing half of it?   There are two small buildings, and actually, we didn't even see all of the smaller building.  There were upset children when it was time to go, and sleeping children the entire ride home. :)

So we met up with two friends and their (combined) 4 children.  Driving down the road, I literally drove right past it. I was looking for a 'building', not a 'house'.  Thank goodness for the giant dinosaur in the lawn!  We turned around and found the parking lot.  It's not a huge parking lot, but I think it gets the job done.  We didn't have a hard time finding spaces.  I was surprised to notice a sign that said "30 Minute Wait".  A museum with a wait?  So we got our tickets.  (Free if you have the Children's Museum Reciprocal pass or a library pass, and can be discounted if you have the Entertainment Book)  We headed back outside to explore.  There's a lot to do in the parking lot.  We hovered around the tree house and ship area, and also the painted 'road' they could drive tricycles on.  I noticed there were other things around the parking lot, but the kids weren't interested in heading there.  They also have a 'classroom' that has some toys in it, and a bathroom! 

The wait ended up being much less than 30 minutes, and when we got in, I could see why there was a wait.  It's a small victorian style house that's been converted into this amazing playspace/museum.  No strollers allowed in the museum, and I'm not sure it's fully handicap accessible. 

The first room was the train room, complete with a large train the kids could go on, a train table, and a ticket counter.  Nothing high tech, and for me not all that exciting.  The kids on the other hand had to be dragged out and into the next room, the ball room.  Now I thought this room was great!  There was a 'loft'-type structure for the kids to climb, some stage type areas, and a fireplace converted into a cozy reading nook.  The entire room was outfitted with different 'tracks' for the balls.  There were large lacrosse balls that you had to climb into the loft to put in the tracks.  The tracks went around the room and hit different obstacles like keys, or dominoes.  This was great for Patrick, and Cecilia loved the lower level tracks for golf balls scattered throughout.  Room 2 was were we lost one set of friends......they stayed here almost an hour!  The next room is the water room.  Pretty simple.  Giant water table, and this giant bubble set up where the kids can stand in a bubble.  They do have 'water aprons' but I would definitely recommend a change or two of clothes per kid!  

Then come the stairway, also full of fun for the little ones.  There's a giant lighthouse they can climb in with a periscope and switches to turn on the light.  Under the stairs is a seat and a TV that showcases an ocean scene.  (No, not a Sponge Bob ocean scene! )  We headed upstairs, there's a bunch of rooms up there, and I know that with the three of them, I didn't really get to explore all the rooms, because it was hard to keep track of them all!  I do wish there was a gate at the top of the stairs.  The first room we went in was exploring colors with a huge wooden puzzle along the wall, and some neat color mixing containers and wheels.  There's also a big wooden bridge that has light-up steps.  The next room was a restaurant set up. This pretty much speaks for itself, but just picture a play kitchen on steroids!  Complete with restaurant booths for us parents to sit and enjoy their creations.  Here is also an unimpressive infant corner.  There weren't too many toys in it, but I appreciated a chance to put Riley down so I could keep a better eye on the bigger two.  Then we worked over to an eclectic area.  There was a puppet theater, dollhouse, and they could climb up into an adventure fort. 

The two other rooms on this level were the safari room, which also had climbing structures and a sensory room.    I didn't get to spend much time in there since I could be in the hallways and keep an eye on them. Oh, and very important to note: Bathroom is located on this floor too, with a changing table!

There is a third floor, but we didn't make it up there.  At this point, we'd already been inside about 2.5 hours!  We slowly headed back outside and went to the 'front yard'.  We grabbed some lunch at the picnic tables and the kids played in the sandbox and on the dinosaur. 

I can not wait to go back!  Not only did we miss the third floor of the smaller building, there's the entire 'science museum' that didn't open until 1 that we missed.  Some of our friends had been here before and the kids really wanted to go there as well.  But rush hours was fast approaching.  We will be going back and planning a full day, so look for the Part 2 post. 

Discovery Museums,
177 Main Street (Route 27)
Acton, Massachusetts 01720
Phone: 978.264.4200 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              978.264.4200      end_of_the_skype_highlighting
fun@discoverymuseums.org

Parking: Ample
Bathrooms:  Classroom building by the Children's Discovery Musuem, and on the second floor of the Childrens' Discovery Museum.  (I don't yet know where in the Science Building)

	Children's Discovery Museum (The smaller front house) Tues-Sun 9-4:30
	Science Discovery Museum Tues-Fri 1-430, Sat-Sun 10-4:30

Imajine That, Lawrence

When I was living in the Merrimack Valley, Imajine That, 354 Merrimack Street , Lawrence MA was one of my most favorites places to go. When I only had Patrick and Cecilia (as a baby) it was pretty easy. With three, it's obviously a bit more difficult, but I do love it here! We had a 6 month membership to get us through the winter months. Now that I am no longer local, it's not worth the membership. Fortunately, we have some close friends who still have memberships and we can use their guest passes. Also, some of the libraries in area have passes, and I know that the Haverhill Family Network has passes as well. The 2011 Entertainment book has coupons for discounted entrance fees as well.

Imajine That is a tad tricky to find. Its just below Salvatore's Restaurant, on the second floor. A tricky part, particularly in the summer: NO SHOES, that is for everyone! Everyone must have socks, so throw them in your bag!

We went this past Wednesday to meet up with a couple friends.  I had started this blog entry, since I'd been there so many times, and sure enough when we got there I was surprised.  They had a renovation!  How did I not know this??  Anyways, the basic layout is still the same, but they 'de-cluttered' the place, and replaced the old beat up bouncy house. They also repainted the entire interior.  It used to be full of all kinds of bright colors.  Now it's more along the lines of coffee house colors, but I think in some ways its good.  Much less overstimulating than it was, but I find it a bit blah.

Anyways, that's just my opinion.  I still love Imajine That!  It's very easily accessible with my oversized stroller.  There's push-button handicap doors and other than making sure Patrick doesn't push the alarm button in the elevator it's a piece of cake.  When you get upstairs there's a lobby area where you can hang jackets, shoes, stroller parking and restrooms.  (Not the nicest ones I've seen, but they have changing tables and do just fine.)  When you enter the playspace there's a little boutique, and the check in desk.  Then it's just wide open areas of fun.  Here's some photos.  There used to be a great map on the website but that's not there anymore.  So I'll do my best to recreate it.  

This place really has a lot of things for the under 5 age group!  What makes it really unique in my mind is the arts and crafts area and the cafe.  The Arts and Crafts area has a chalkboard wall, and lots of supplies such as crayons, glue, feathers, sequins, stamps, etc.  You can also purchase paint for $0.25 from the cafe.  And speaking of cafe, this place is pretty good for playspace food.  They serve Sal's Pizza, yogurt, snacks, fruit cups, and Patrick's favorite Nutella and Jelly Sandwich!  It is peanut free, but they do have soy nut butter.

The Maze is small, but pretty nice.  I like it because I can fairly easily go through most of it with the kids, including the baby.  It's only two levels.  To use the slide, you don't have to struggle through everything.  You just climb up the stairs and slide down, so it's great for small ones.  There is a dress up box near the stage, and also a puppet theater!  I think the rest of it is pretty self-explanatory - toddler area, music house, bouncy house, playstore.  :)

They offer a bunch of different programs and activities.  Some of them are included with admission, some have an extra charge.  When I heard about this one program, my initial thought was "I can't believe no one's thought of that before"!  It's a program called Date Night.  You can get more detailed info at the link, but here's the short version.....   Salvatore's Restaurant and Imajine That have teamed up.  You 'book' your date night, either Friday or Sat with Imajine That between 5 and 8.  You're given a two hour window and Imajine That makes a dinner reservation for you at Salvatores.  The staff will take your (walking) children and watch them for that time block.  They feed them pizza and juice, and you can enjoy a quiet dinner!!  The kids are in the building and staff will get you if need be.  Can you say AWESOME!  We've done this before, but always had a non-walking baby.  I'm looking forward to enjoying this as soon as the little one is on the go!

If you're nearby it is definitely worth checking out!  I do find it a little hard to keep track of the kids, but really no more so than any large place.  The area's all have half-walls which I think is great.  The jury is still out on this one.  I love this place for multiple kids, and I have friends who don't like it because it's hard to keep track of them.  They however like some other places that I'd rather avoid for the same reason.  For us and for now, we love it here.  We'll see what happens when the baby is on the move! 

Details:
354 Merrimack Street , Lawrence MA

Hours:

Monday - Thursday	9 - 5
Friday and Saturday	9 - 8
Sunday	9 - 5

Cost:

Children 1 & up	$8.95
Babies under 1	$2.95
Adults	$1.00 Next stop: Canton's Totplex that we went to yesterday. Discovery Museums in Acton we're heading to now!  Can't Wait!

Pump it up, Peabody MA

I am really looking forward to going out to explore all the playgrounds! Unfortunately, this week is going to be quite a rainy week, and we'll have to do our best to avoid 'cabin fever'. When I moved to the Northshore area, I did 'join' a few Mom's Groups. (I think they are a GREAT way to learn the hot playspots, make new friends for both you and your kids, and just to get out and about). By joining, I'm on the email lists, and unfortunately have yet to make a scheduled playdate!

A mom's group had a play date at Pump It Up, 5 Webster St. Peabody, so I decided it would be worth checking out. I heard about them about a year or so ago. When I called, they had very limited playtimes, and we'd never been able to coordinate. Today would be a great day with the rain and as a bonus I would get to meet some local moms!

Pump It Up is located in a fairly industrial area, and was a little hard to find. Fortunately, GPS knew where to go, otherwise, I don't think I would have found it! If you are going here and use a stroller, there's definitely a right and wrong side to park on! We were on the wrong side. (Read: stairs, no ramp!) The side we parked on had a sign for a place called Fastner, and only a few "temporary" parking spots for Pump It Up. I was able to hike the stroller up the drainage ditch, and a staff member gave me a hand when we got to the top. It was $16 for the four of us to enter. $8.00 for each walking child, and free for me and the baby.

The website doesn't have much for pictures, so I'll do my best to describe it. After checking in and going down a hallway, there are two 'arenas' which is where the inflatables are. I was so happy when I learned at check in that parents CAN play on the equipment with the kids. So many times I've had to either chase or rescue a child off a bouncy house that clearly states I shouldn't be on it! When we got into Arena B, I realized why I could join them - the play structures are huge! I quickly realized this might not be a great fit for the situation I'm currently in. A fearless 3 year old, almost two year old determined diva, and a 9 month old baby.

So there are two Arena's full of large inflatable structures. The arenas are separated by a set of doors, but during drop in play the doors are open. Each room has giant slides. Both Cecilia and Patrick could climb these big slides. Arena A has a basketball-type court, and a pair of obstacle courses. Arena B has two other inflatables. One of them had a jumping area, some pillars, and a small slide. The side you climb on was set up more like a rock wall. We didn't make it onto the other one, but it looked pretty cool. It was circular, with a big mound in the middle. Each room also had an air hockey table, and there were a couple coin operated games scattered throughout.

I did venture onto a few things with the kids, because Cecilia had a hard time climbing into, and up most of the pieces. This would have been great if I wasn't lugging around the poor baby! Riley held up fairly well! She enjoyed the basketball court with her siblings. She also didn't seem to mind climbing up the big slides. I was surprised she also did well as we navigated the obstacle course, until we got to the end and had to scale a 'rock wall' style hill! Much to her dismay, I had no choice but to put her down and helped Cecilia. As I climbed back down, I then wondered how on earth I was going to carry Riley up to the slide! We survived. :)

Pump It Up is a great place to bring kids: its fun, super clean, and the staff were very friendly and helpful! If you are planning on venturing out with your little one/ones, be leary of the timing of open play. This was a very difficult day for this Momma, trying to help her on the equipment and keeping an eye on Patrick while dragging the baby. This was during the middle of the week, at roughly 10AM. I can't even imagine how it would have gone if older kids were running and jumping around! I heard from another mom of two that she can't bring her kids together because of the age difference. If your kids are close in age like mine, be sure they are old enough to venture in on their own, because it can be very difficult to keep a close eye on them.

I can say however, that we will be going back and maybe even dragging a few of our friends. Maybe I'm just a glutton for punishment? Or perhaps it's because I don't want to waste the perfectly good Groupon we purchased.

Details:
5 Webster St. Peabody. Limited Parking

Cost: $8.00 per child (adults play for free when accompanied by a child)

Hours: Check the calendar for the latest information
It looks like Pop In Play Time: Tues, Wed, 9:30 - 11. and Thursday 1030-12. There are also scattered afternoon times.


Up next: Imajine That, Lawrence. New Hampshire Children's Museum, Dover NH.

Children's Hospital, Boston

So, this isn't exactly my idea of fun, but I had to throw out a plug for Children's Hospital Boston, Blackfan St! My baby has a 'minor' medical problem. Now, by minor, I certainly don't mean that I consider it minor, but in the scheme of things it most definitely could be a lot worse. The standard of care for this condition is currently under question. The biggest problem with what she has is that she's very likely to develop infections. The standard is to administer antibiotics on a daily basis until the condition is outgrown, which could be as many as 5 years! Many docs are currently questioning this school of thought since the effectiveness hasn't been tested. Short story, Children's is participating in a national study that is examining if administering prophylaxis antibiotics are preventing anything at all.

Yesterday was our first day of the study. It was a VERY long day that involved nuclear med tests, bloodwork, urine sample, rectal swabs, blood pressure (surprisingly harder for her than I would have thought!) and a 90 minute scan....that's 90 minutes if my 8 month old doesn't move an inch during the test! They told us to expect 3-4 hours for that scan.

I just have to say, EVERYONE at Children's made this as enjoyable as possible. Each staff member that I walked by at the very least smiled at the Babe, and at me. Many of them said hello, talked to Riley, etc. Those that had to do tests were just so kind to her and tried to make it as painless as possible for her. The study coordinator was incredible, and I just couldn't be happier to have to partnership with them.

While I hope that noone needs to have specialty services for their children, if they do, try try try to get into Childrens! They are affiliated with Harvard Medical School. They just opened a new satellite clinic in Peabody at Centennial Drive. They also have a Waltham location, and a Lexington office.

Hope you and your children have a healthy day!

Ingaldsby Farm, Boxford

I must say, Ingaldsby Farm, 14 Washington Rd, Boxford has got to be a favorite group spot, and I have PLENTY of pictures from here to prove it! :) Last year, a group of us were here very regularly. While it's small, it definitely holds the kids attention, and has the added benefit of providing the perfect atmosphere for allowing us moms some 'mom' time!

From the road, it looks like your average small farm stand, and the first time I went I honestly wasn't all that impressed. (The first time I went, Patrick was probably 8 months old) Reluctently I agreed to meet friends there last year and there's is so much more than meets the eye! I'm not quite sure my description could really do it justice! So, there's the typical farm stand component, a store that has fresh fruits and veggies, some country style decorations and flowers. As you head out to the side door, you see more flowers for sale, and a partially fenced off area with a few picnic tables. In that area, there's basically a HUGE sandbox...well not exactly a box. It's a sand field! There's an old farm red farm stand, with a sign about it being the original stand. There's a wooden train and some giant tractor tires. I'm always amazed at how my kids can go non-stop in the play area. Other places that seemingly have more to offer don't hold their attention anywhere near as long.

Adjacent to this area is a pen that houses goats and sheep, another pen that houses some pigs. There's also a chicken coup, peacocks, and bunnies. The farm sells 'food' for the animals, but what I love is you can also bring your own. The food they sell is corn husks, apple scraps, celery, carrots, etc. Every other week, I get an extra large bag of carrots, or celery and we bring it to the farm. This saves some money and some landfills! The kids love feeding them and playing with them.

This is a working farm, and if you venture outside of this area, there's beautiful paths to walk down along the apple trees. At the end of a short walk is a beautiful pond. If I remember correctly that is where the pumpkin patch is.

In the fall, they do PYO apples and also have a corn maze.

This is such a great place to take the kids. They keep themselves occupied in the play area, and we always go for a walk before we leave. If they are extra good, we go into the store and get some cider donuts! Very stroller accessible, though it's a bit tight inside. If you go without the stroller, you can grab one of their wagons. If you haven't gone, I would definitely recommend it!

Franklin Park Zoo, Boston MA

Yesterday we went to Franklin Park Zoo in Boston with a group of friends. Overall there were 9 kids 5 and under, and 5 adults. We all had a great time, notwithstanding of course the several meltdowns that occurred along the way for various reasons. And yes, my three had more than their fair share.

Compared to Stone Zoo, Franklin Park is overall a much nicer zoo. It has many more of the impressive animals, a great snack bar, a really nice 'all ages' playground, and for kids really into the animals this makes it worth the trip. The biggest downside to this zoo is location. For those of you familiar with Boston and it's neighborhoods, you might know that it is in the area known as Blue Hills, and it's not 'just off the highway'. Even with my GPS, I got so confused and made several wrong turns. Fortunately, the GPS politely "Recalculates" and we made our way to the zoo! We were supposed to all meet around 11. With this many kids going, you know we were almost all late! I got a call that we were meeting in the Giraffe parking lot and I immediately thought, GREAT! now I'm just a few minutes out. However, once I got there, I couldn't figure out where the parking lot was. I thought I found it, parked an unloaded the kids. Another mom friend pulled in right next to me with her two boys, and we headed up towards the gate. Only then did we notice we were not in the right place! There was a little teeny tiny sign saying "Zebra Entrance". We opted to just go in and walk to the other entrance, well run, since we were indeed late. So, downsides one and two: Bad area, and poor signage!

As we ran/dragged the kids past animal after animal to meet the rest of the group, I thought this is a really nice zoo! There were plenty of different types of animals to look at, and unlike the Stone zoo, there are the animals you would expect to see: Tiger, Lion, Gorillas, Monkeys, Zebras, etc. We loved the different exhibits, and it felt like it was more 'open' than stone zoo. I felt I could let Patrick explore a little more than I could in Stoneham. We were a bit sad that the Giraffe was not around because of the 'colder' weather. We were also disappointed that the butterfly garden hadn't opened for the season yet. This would have been a great test for our trip out to Westford's Butterfly Conservatory!

As for facilities, there is a large food area that has both inside and outside seating. I brought a lunch, so we didn't really explore the menu options. But I loved that there were picnic tables in the shade, in the sun, and regular tables inside! There were a few coin operated rides that Patrick preferred. This is such a nice difference from Stoneham which has a food 'trailer' (for lack of a better term). Next to the food area is a farmyard and a really cool slide that's built into a 'silo'. Behind this is a tractor for the kids to play on. These two things kept mine occupied for quite a while! There's also a decent sided play area. Amazingly, we didn't check this out as mine actually wanted to see some other animals.

For bringing my crew, I thought this place was great! I wasn't as concerned about keeping track of the kids as I have been at other places, and certainly feel it is something I could do on my own. Despite a few breakdowns that mine had, and the general difficulties in keeping a large group together, it went really well. As for accessibility, I had few, if any, problems pushing the bigger stroller through, and would definitely hope to break out the double wagon at a future visit. Important to note: there are areas that you can't use a stroller, so I couldn't go in with them, but Patrick got to go with his friends to feed the budgies.

Leaving the zoo, my GPS sent us in an amazingly worse area than the way we came in. After hitting a crime scene detour, I decided while the zoo is definitely worth coming to again, I would likely find a better way to get in. Those in the Giraffe parking lot got sent home a different way, and avoided the less desirable parts of Mattapan. Next trip I WILL find this parking lot, and will find a way to avoid Blue Hill Ave.

Next Stop: Ingaldsby Farm, Boxford

Boy Scout Park, Boxford

Boyscout Park, Cahoun St. Boxford is among our favorite parks. It's close to the highway, so its' easy to get to and it's still 'off the beaten track'. There's a good deal of parking and it's off of a side street, so traffic is not a big concern. When going to this park right now, I am still taking the double stroller, mostly because Riley is getting too heavy! Actually, it's probably more so because the ground is mulched, and she loves to eat mulch! ;) The stroller is a little tough to maneuver here, but it's definitely still doable.

It's a wooden style park and what makes it so great as a mom of three, it's fenced in, but there's so many different areas that it doesn't feel that way! The one downside is the entrance does not have a gate on it, but there's a 'seating' area right next to it, so if you can let the kids play and take a rest, you are right there.

There are several areas for the kids to explore. To the left there's a 'silo' structure and underneath that is a sandbox that my kids just love! Just outside of that area there's a toddler's structure and some swings. The bigger structure is built like a castle and there's so many nooks and crannies for them to explore. There's a few tables as well, but posted no eating signs. On the far right is more swings and a tire swing. This past Wednesday it was pretty quiet, and that's another reason I like the park. We've rarely run into the 'over-crowded' issues here.

Outside of the park is nice as well. Outside the gate are picnic tables and in the warmer months there has been porta-potties! (I have no idea how to spell that one!) There's a baseball field across the way that the kids can run around in, and there are trails that you can explore. We haven't done this yet, as I know collectively mine aren't quite there yet!

Next Stop: Franklin Park Zoo

Stone Zoo, Stoneham MA

Stone Zoo, part of Zoo New England is the smaller of the two zoos.

So despite it being school vacation week, we did venture out to the zoo on Monday with Nana and Papa. We opted to avoid Franklin Park due to the Marathon and all the chaos that it brings. Instead we went to the small, but pretty kid friendly Stone Zoo. Last time I went to the zoo, I used my double wagon. This time, we used the double stroller. The Zoo is on the small side for zoo, for toddlers and preschoolers, I think its just fine. They aren't all that interested in what animals are there anyways! The two big kids were really excited seeing the bear, and Cecilia loved the monkeys.

So first off, parking....plenty of it! I've never known it to be a problem. When we go, we always go to the left to check out the animals. (I think if you go to the right, you are just so quickly at the playground and that might be the end of the trip if your kids are anything like mine! :) ).

While it is a small zoo, and there aren't a huge amount of your 'impressive' zoo animals (Zebra/elephant/Lion/Gorillas etc) it's still a good excursion for the little ones. For the 'bigger' animals, there are bears, llamas, monkeys, flamingos, and wolves. (See the map above for a better list) Some of the walkways are a little narrow and hard to navigate with the double stroller when it's crowded, but overall not too bad. When we went there were lots of animals that were not out on exhibit due to the weather. It was a nice day, but April can be pretty unpredictable. This was disappointing, and I do remember this happening last year as well. I'm guessing we were there around the same time of year. Hopefully when we go back this summer, there will be more to look at. Right around the 'River Otters' there is the Dino Dig. I think this might be my kids favorite part of the zoo! There's a box that's pretty equivalent to a large sandbox. It's filled with gravel and under the gravel are 'dinosaur bones'. There's also a table right nearby with a bunch of different types of skulls. I have to say it's pretty cool, and the best part is that there are bathrooms right there!

After this area we've always walked over to the 'barnyard'. I find this area so disappointing. By its name, I would expect that there might be some chickens, goats, sheep, etc. There aren't. But right next to the barn is a good sized playground. I'll hold my decisions on this playground for little ones until our next visit. It was just so overrun with bigger kids on vacation that my little ones were getting run over.

On the way out the door are a few 'rides'. My kids love it....there's a train, and a twisty type of ride. There's also some coin operated ones. The train was $2.00 and the other ride was $3.00.

Costs: For a family of 5, I think the zoo is a little expensive for what it offers. $11.00 for an adult, and $7.00 for kids 2-12. You can get passes from the libraries, and there is a buy one get one free coupon for the Stone Zoo in the 2011 Entertainment Book. Since this zoo is just down the road from us, and I went a few times last year, I did opt to purchase the family plus membership. The regular family membership which covers two adults and up to 4 kids was 75. For just $20.00 more, it included 4 adults, 4 kids, PLUS two guests with each visit! This was definitely worth the extra money.

Mall Tots, Danvers MA

Update: For those of you that are familiar with Mall Tots at the Liberty Tree Mall, they moved this week! You can now find them where K & G used to be!

Cy Tenney / Ross Memorial Park, Peabody

This past weekend we took a trip to Ross Memorial Park on Johnson Rd, Peabody MA (formerly CyTenney Park). This park is one that is near and dear to my heart, and I just love taking the kids there! I grew up just down the street. I'm not quite sure that there actually was a playground when I was younger, but a woman I used to babysit for spearheaded an effort to build a new playground at the site. So I've been involved in the construction of this park from the beginning. I volunteered at many of the events, and babysat for the planning meetings. Our family has a brick on one of the walkways, and my father was actually on the building committee and literally helped build the park. As time moved on, the park continued to evolve. Several years ago there was another group that built an accessible park on the site as well! Just a few years ago the City of Peabody began building a bike trail throughout the city, and this park is part of that bike trail! Awesome!

So, the park includes some baseball fields, a bike path that brings you out to Lowell St, by the Hannaford Shopping Plaza. (this trail continues through to the Middleton line if interested!) Plenty of parking here and it is not even close to the main road. (another plus!) Playgrounds are entirely fenced in.

As for the playgrounds, there are essentially three playgrounds at this location. For three toddlers, I prefer the kids to stay on the newest, accessible one for a few reasons. First, I like the surface much better. It's a rubberized surface so I don't have to worry about splinters or Cecilia eating it! I can easily stay on the structure with the kids if need be. The one downside, it is a little easy for the little ones to fall off. This happened to us last week, but with the soft surface, Cecilia was just fine. There's a great sandbox that's in one corner of the park. The swings in this part of the park are large swings so that most kids can enjoy them, even with various disabilities. This section of the park is mostly fenced in and seperate from the rest of the playground and there are a few benches scattered around. The walkway to the older portion is not gated.

The older (and more sentimental for me!) playground is located to the back and side of the Angel Playground. The structures to the side are for the smaller kids. Lower level slides, wheels, balancing boards, monkey bars etc. Cecilia likes this section, but other than the wheels, Patrick has no interest in it! He, of course prefers the large wooden playground! I certainly do get nervous with him climbing this section, but so far he does pretty well. There are two very high slides - one regular slide, and a tunnel slide. Patrick climbs up to both, but really can only go down the tunnel slide. He does pretty well on it, but this is just much to big for Cecilia.

In between the two sections are the swings. There's 2 baby swings and two tire swings. Since none of my kids are old enough use a regular swing, I didn't think to look for them!

I took some pictures of the park, but haven't had a chance to upload. After the big wedding this weekend, I'll get all my pictures up on the computer.

Currently, this is one of my favorite parks for the kids. When the weather is nice, I plan to park at Hannaford and walk/bike over with the kids. Right now it is a bit hard with the two mobile ones, since it is such a large area and the kids never want to do the same things. Patrick does end up being a bit more daring than I'd like since I'm stretched so thin with the girls. I'm not quite sure I'll be able to do this park once Riley's on the move. Although, Patrick will be a bit older, so maybe it will be fine?

Upcoming stops: Mall Tots, Liberty Tree Mall, Danvers MA; Ingaldsby Farm, Boxford; New Hampshire Children's Museum, Dover NH; The Butterfly Place, Westford; Ackerman Park, Boxford.

And send me ideas of places to go with my 'crew'! We love checking out new things!

Endicott Park, Danvers MA

I planned on doing a review of aMAZEment in Haverhill for my next blog. Unfortunately as you moms know, even the best plans can easily fall apart when dealing with kids. We didn't make it to aMAZEment with the snow predicted last Friday. Then we dealt with Riley being sick, so we haven't really been out, other than several trips to the doctor's office! (Not fun or easy with just one kid, let alone three! - however I will say that these docs are fantastic for anyone in the Greater Haverhill area!)

We've certainly been to aMAZEment several times, and I probably could give a pretty good review off the top of my head, but I think it's a hard place to describe. Pictures would definitely be beneficial so that will have to wait. :)

Instead, we did manage to get out to Endicott Park in Danvers on Sunday for a couple of hours. Endicott Park (www.endicottpark.com) is owned and operated by the Town of Danvers. It's actually quite a large haven for a number of activities. Endicott Park is 168 acres. We certainly have not taken advantage of all the activities available, but the children just love 'animal park' as they call it. So here's some of the highlights:

Children's Barn: There's a small barnyard for the kids to explore (no petting or feeding the animals) They have 2 horses, sheep, a goat, a pig, some chickens/roosters, swans or ducks (I'm not quite sure what they are), and some other birds. These all go inside the barn or outside in the pens. The last two times we were there the chickens were roaming free and Patrick was absolutely thrilled! Inside the barn there are also some bunnies. The barn is fairly stroller friendly, you do have one step to go up, but its not too bad. The backside of the barn has a little 'deck' so to speak. This makes me a little nervous because on one side the kids could climb through and it's probably a 3 foot drop.

Right near the Barn is the Carriage House. There are bathrooms here, clean bathrooms. :) This building houses the Park Rangers, a 'classroom' type space (no strollers allowed) with some books and some interesting things for older kids to check out. (all artifacts found at the park such as deer antlers, different animal skulls, etc) Here is where you can find all the flyers for different events held at the Park.

Playground: Across the picnic area and parking lot is the Children's playground. From the carriage house you can take the road around, or cut through the grassy field. We've done both, I prefer walking around so the kids can do a little exploring, but you need to be careful of cars. In the summer I believe the horses are kept across this road. The fenced in playground is brand-new. There are two sections, one for the little ones and one for the bigger ones. Each section has it's own set of swings. Both playgrounds are on mulch. The space in-between is a sand/dirt combo. There are benches along the fence for parents to sit on. It's a little tough getting a stroller across the playground, but it's doable. The new playstructures are nice, each has multiple slides, climbing walls, and other things for the kids to check out. I will post some pictures the next time we go. It is a large area, with some picnic tables and a grassy area. Depending on the age of your kids, it could be somewhat difficult to manage at this park with three. I find that mine often split up and they are each on a different playstructure. Because they are so young, it's hard to keep them all safe. Cecilia thinks she can do everything Patrick can, and he thinks he can do everything! The big downside I've found to this park is the fencing. you would think that after redoing the playground, that they would fix the fences. It's a chainlink fence by the parking lot. The handle on the gate has been broken off, so the gate is not secure. There is also parts where the chainlink is torn and/or detached. Last time, Patrick climbed through a large hole and out into the parking lot. If they fixed the fence, it would be a great place to go!

Trails: I can't comment about the quality of the trails since we haven't checked them out yet, but there appear to be a number of trails, one of which is the Life trail. I'm hoping to check that out soon, but I don't think it's stroller friendly.

There's also a fishing pond, and community gardens according to the website. Glen Magna Farm is located here as well, but is considered property. (We did walk through here and it's gorgeous! This would be a great place to take photos of your kids in the spring/summer!)

Again, check out the website....there's tons of different activities, classes, camps here. There's also the option to have a birthday party year round! www.endicottpark.com

There's a lot to this park and it's definitely worth a trip. Pack a picnic lunch and enjoy the day. :)

Endicott Park
57 Forest St.
Danvers MA

Hours 9:00 - sunset

Cost: Weekdays no fee. Parking on the weekends is $1 for Danvers residents and $3 for non-residents

Next Stop: Not sure....we'll see where this week takes us!

Wenham Museum

Today we started off at the Y, and then headed over to the Wenham Museum. According to their website (www.wenhammuseum.org) The Mission of the Wenham Museum is to protect, preserve and interpret the history and culture of Boston's North Shore, domestic life and the artifacts of childhood.

It's a small museum, located next to Town Hall. The parking lot is shared, and there is additional parking up the hill. We are able to get in without too much trouble. The museum has two levels. The main level houses the admission desk, dollhouse collection, some train sets, and what looks to be a gallery for special collections, and gift shoppe. The lower level houses the 'train room' and the Family Discovery Center. It was easy to get around with the three, though the gift shop was quite a draw for Patrick. We first stop at the train table in the lobby. Today we didn't explore the dollhouse and dolls collection. The kids are a little young for that and it doesn't hold much interest. They do have some 'play dollhouses' scattered throughout the collection and the kids did like playing with these. Definitely caused a few fights over who's playing with what, where. The first time we went we had a hard time getting the kids to go downstairs.

Downstairs is our favorite spot. There's basically two rooms. The train room is a great room totally filled with model trains. They are enclosed in plexiglass on different tables. I must say, there is an incredible amount of work and craftsmanship displayed here. (As there also is in the dollhouse collection!) All of the train displays do work, and there's stepstools for the kids to watch. Patrick loves this room and loves pushing the buttons to make the trains go. There are some work desks there that you need to be aware of. One area has a small rope blocking it off. We missed that the first time around and Patrick of course went right through it. The second room downstairs is the Family Discovery Center. We do have lots of fun here. There is a train table right at the entrance. Once in the discovery center there are some 'older' toys for the kids to play with. By older I mean "Gumby", Ventriloquist dolls, sock monkeys, Barrel of Monkeys, Candyland, Etch-a-Sketch, Colorforms.....yes almost all things I remember playing with, so they really aren't all that old! There's also a store set up and a house with a kitchen, table, and cradle inside. There's a rack of 'classic' books such as Curious George, Babar, and Fun with Dick and Jane. In addition, there's a table of Lincoln Logs, and a Typewriter. Cecilia loves playing in the store, and with the house. Patrick if you could imagine, likes the train table, and typewriter! There is no photography allowed, so I didn't take any pictures. (http://goodmorninggloucester.wordpress.com/2010/11/24/wenham-museum/ There are some recent pictures on this blog!)

There are bathrooms with changing stations on both floors, and there's a coat room which is a great place to drop off coats and diaper bags. The museum is very clean, and hasn't been very crowed the few times we've gone.

Hours: Tues-Sun 10-4.
Cost: $7.50 for Adults, $5.50 for Children (ages 1-18)
**If you have the Entertainment book, there is a coupon for a buy one get one free. I believe this is re-printable**
Family Membership is $70.00.

If you're local to the Wenham area, I do think it's worth purchasing a family membership. While it's not quite as exciting as some places, it's a good trip for an hour or two, particularly if your kids are a little older than mine. I will say, I am looking forward to being able to go without the kids and check out the workmanship on the dollhouses!

Next Stop: aMAZEment, Haverhill MA

Where we start almost every day . . .

As I sat thinking about what to write about first, I thought what better to start with than the place we start most of our days at . . . . The Greater Beverly YMCA. I must say, I think this is the best 'purchase' I could have made. If you are a parent you know how important it is to take care of yourself. If you're anything like me, that's probably your last priority. Since losing my part-time job at the end of the year, I've decided that there's a reason. Yes, being able to stay home during those important formative years is a great opportunity. However, I realized it's also going to give me the opportunity to take care of myself as well.

The Y is a win-win situation for us - I get some time to work out and a break from the long days, and the kids get somewhat of a 'day care' experience. My personal belief (which I know not everyone shares) is that it is important for my children to learn how to be with other people, without Mommy or Daddy there. I loved the day care they were in while I was working not just because she was great, but also because they learned that it's ok if Mommy leaves; she will come back. They learned how to play with others. They also learned how to listen to other adults (well, in theory I suppose, listening skills is something we're working very hard on). At this particular YMCA, babysitting is included in the family membership, and they have long hours compared to some of the other Ys in the area. The playroom is clean and the staff are extremely friendly and caring. This Y does allow the staff to change diapers instead of coming to get me. A huge bonus, since the Y has a laxative effect on my kids. :) They did just implement some changes to the kids club. Parents can no longer go in the room and they will no longer 'feed' children. You can still send finger foods and sandwiches, but they won't be able to sit down and hand feed. Obviously with the three I have, I'm not all that happy about this change. We haven't been able to get out there as early as I like to because of it.

As for the maneuvering in and out, we use a double stroller and my oldest stands on the back (yes, I know I shouldn't do this!) It's pretty easy to get in and around. The hallway where you drop off the kids can get crowded. I usually park the stroller outside near the vending machines since it takes up lots of room.

In addition, this YMCA offers tons of open swim, which we've taken advantage of many times. Riley and one of the bigger two go in the babysitting room and I get to have some one on one time with either Patrick or Cecilia. There's also open gymnastics which might be my kids favorite part! They have a huge trampoline into the foam pit, lots of balance things. While it's a little hard to manage the three children, we do pretty well. It took a few times for patrick to learn he needs to wait his turn. Cecilia doesn't understand that yet, so usually I hold Riley and follow Cecilia around. They are usually exhausted after we leave. (another bonus since they'll usually nap at the same time!) I'd probably recommend using the babysitting room and taking just one or two of them, but I don't want to give up my workout! :)

This location gets a two thumbs up from me! As for other Ys, its worth looking into. In Massachusetts, the YMCAs are reciprocal, but that doesn't mean babysitting will always be included, and some other things such as open gymnastics might not be included. Either way, Get a break, enjoy a workout, swim, relax in the sauna or my favorite = take a long, peaceful shower!


Costs: One Adult Family: $61.00 per month.
Two Adult Family: $92.00 per month

Hours: Mon-Fri 5AM-10PM, Sat 6AM - 8PM, Sun 7AM-8PM

Babysitting Hours
Monday through Thursday - 7:45am to 7:30pm
Friday - 7:45am to 7:00pm
Saturday - 8:00am to 12:00pm

Next stop: Wenham Museum.