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