Kangaroo Kids on the Review List

We had a wonderful Easter break & hope you all did, too. This weekend we'll be checking out Kangaroo Kids, an inflatable party room like Pump It Up. We've visited it about a month ago when it first opened and liked it. this time, we're going to give its entertainment offerings a try. I'll post a review next week.

If you are curious about any new venues for kids, please email me to let me know which place you're curious about. Thanks.

Until the next nap time...

Fun Kids Activities in Central Houston

Here are some fun ideas of things to do with kids in Houston for FREE. These tips came from the West University MOPS group. Thank you for sharing your ideas!

"The Cookie Jar Bakery on Westheimer. Here is their website www.thecookiejarbakery.com/. Sadly, they have cut back on their hours and are no longer open on Sundays. This placed saved me during the summer months when it was too hot to do anything outside. They had a story time and then did an art project and decorated one cookie for free. They also had themed classes for $10 or $15. One was dinosaurs, another trains and back to school. Sophia really loved it and this place was very kid friendly. It had a train table and a children's table and chalk to keep the children entertained while you had your coffee. I just called and they said they no longer have the classes but if you have a small group of children they still do cookie decorating. You will just need to call ahead of time.

"Another free and fun activity that has not gone away is the Kroger here on Westpark and Buffalo Speedway. At any time you can get a free balloon in the floral dept. and a free cookie for your child at the bakery but on Saturdays from 3-5 there is a guy who comes in and plays music - right inside of the store next to the Starbucks - Sophia and I dance/watch and my husband shops. On Sundays - at the same time (I think, you might have to call and check to make sure) there is a clown who does balloon animals and face painting. All for free, although they do accept tips. It is not always the same clown so if you are thinking of hiring a clown for a birthday party this is a good way to see them work.

"Last free indoor activity I know of is the piano man at Nordstroms. Free balloon in the shoe department on the third floor and free music on the first floor next to the woman's shoe department. If he sees you have a child he will start playing children's music and you can stay as long as you like."

Thanks again for these great tips, especially during Spring Break and as summer approaches. I hope everyone has a family-filled, restful Easter holiday. Many blessings to you & yours.

Until the next nap time...

Easter Prep

Yesterday afternoon, we went to Northwest Mall for our annual photo with the Easter Bunny. No lines at all, but the least expensive photo package was $20 for four photos. At least that then enabled me to take photos with my own camera. Ta da!

Last night, we made Easter cookies (yep, that's on my diet!) and had a ball. We're really looking forward to the Easter break.

Enjoy your Easter holiday. We are all lucky indeed. Until the next nap time...

Animal Lover

I'm a sucker for animals.

How is it that a cat that I've known for less than 24 hours can get me to sob? Well, I took the kitty to CAP (Citizens for Animal Protection) this afternoon. The kitty was so sick that they suggested putting her to sleep. At about 3 months old, the kitten had a severe upper respiratory problem that caused her face to swell so that she could barely see. She also had mange and some other weird things going on. She hadn't eaten anything. If you read my earlier blog entry about this cat, you may be thinking Gosh, this does not sound like the same cat. Well, I'm such an animal lover that I just saw this sweet kitty and wanted it all to be okay. Instead, I'll go pick up Little K from school soon and then we're going to play outside with all 5 of our kitties... and be thankful that they are healthy.

Until the next nap time...

PS - I can't stress enough the importance of getting your cats spayed or neutered. Even if they're not your cats, you can get them fixed at SNAP on Durham (near I10) for little investment and as soon as they're healed, release the cats outdoors. You can take this small step to correct the problem of cats being neglected and over-populating. Okay. Off my soap box now.

Kitten Needs Loving Home

Last night, my husband found this cute kitten in the street. Apparently, the house across the street went through a landscaping makeover and turned up a kitten. Trent picked up the cat to move it out of the street, but then the cat followed my husband everywhere. The cat sat on our front porch crying so we gave it some water and cat food. Since we already have 5 cats, we can't keep this one. (My cousin Jon calls me "Cat Woman.") Unfortunately, I think it might be sick so we need a good home for him/her soon.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADOPT THIS CAT, please email me.

Until the next nap time...

Learning About Livestock

We had a great time at the Livestock Show on Saturday. Little K says her favorite was the pony ride and playing with her cousin Brent. I liked the pigs with their big snouts. Amazingly, Little K did not take a nap so she was exhausted by 6 pm.

Until the next nap time...

Test Results Normal

YEAH! I just (finally!) heard back from the doctor's office. The MRI results were normal. No strange things growing in that brain of mind. As I expected/hoped, I've just been overly stressed... but now I can just work on relaxing a bit, prioritizing commitments & enjoying life. Thanks to all of you for your thoughts and prayers.

Can you hear my sigh of relief? AHHHHHHHHHHHH.

Until the next nap time...

I'm Irish. How About You?

Fortunately, I'm Irish. Unfortunately, St. Patrick's Day falls on a Monday this year. Bummer. Oh well. I'm sad to say that the St. Patrick's Day Parade has been publicized little this year & I'm not sure why. I've checked the City of Houston's event site numerous times to finding out when this celebration will be. At least now the St. Pat's Parade is listed but there is no link to more detailed information.

Since the holiday falls on Monday, the parade will be held on Saturday (not Monday as listed in the Houston Kids Calendar -- sorry. The City didn't help any on this!) It starts at noon at Minute Maid Park and wraps up around 3 pm. If you're Irish or if you are tired of the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo (dare I say it!), darn your greens and head out for a good time.

Here's the route: Start on Texas at Hamilton, procceds west on Texas, turns south on Caroline, west on Mc Kinney, north on San Jacinto to end at Prairie.

Until the next nap time...

Is Spring Here to Stay?

I just received a copy of my article on fun things to do with kids this spring... including Spring Break. The article ran in the March 2008 issue of The Buzz magazine. Be sure to check it out so you know loads of spring activities.

Also, I'd like to extend a warm thank you to the MOPS group at Second Baptist (main campus) for welcoming me to its meeting last night. My book 100+ Activities for Houston Kids & I received such a warm welcome that I ran out of books at the event last night. Wow! I just finished delivering the additional orders this afternoon & hope everyone finds the information helpful for their families. With sunny weather like today, it's hard to imagine that just yesterday it was stormy. Perhaps spring is here to stay.

Until the next nap time...

Ranch Hand

We all got some much needed rest at our family ranch this weekend. Saturday was a bit windy & chilly, but the sky was cloudless so it was hard to resist being outside. While Little K played with my mom and sister, Trent & I shot skeet. It was my first time but a highlight of my weekend.

Little K found lots of cool rocks and looked for critters. What a ranch hand she is! After playing on the playground and cruising around in the golf cart, we went to Martha's Bloomers to find a blackberry tree. As you can see, Little K discovered a beautiful butterfly (decoration) and we picked up 2 thornless blackberry trees and 2 tomato plants. We love our trips to Martha's Bloomers for their wonderful garden ideas.

When our Houston ground soaks up all this rain, our family is going to plant these in a sunny spot in our back yard. I think Little K will really enjoy watching the plants grow. PaPa Don will be proud that we're at last trying again to grow a garden. (In 2004, the local squirrels ate my tomato plant while I was in Australia. It looked like my husband took the weed-wacker to it, but he promises it was the squirrels. I'm hoping that our vast array of outside kitties will prevent the squirrels from snacking on our plants.) We'll keep you posted.

Until the next nap time...

Watching the Rain

Explaining the loud booms of a thunderstorm isn't easy. As a child, I wasn't scared of thunderstorms. In the midst of a thunderstorm, my mom would sit down with me on the covered area by our front door. We'd watch the rain and talk about the clouds. While it was educational, I remember the time as being special -- snuggling with Mom and watching the rain drops.

With all the rain yesterday, I recreated this memory with Little K. As you'll see in the picture, we opened up our front door and watched the rain drops. Little K was delighted to catch a few drops on her hand. We shared her Life cereal for a snack and snuggled. When the thunder would boom, we simply replied: "We hear you clouds." Then, we talked about how the rain provides a drink to all the grass & flowers. It was fun.

Next up: tent making. My dad used to make tents for me out of all the blankets in the house. I can't imagine why my mom put up with it but it was fun. Little K and I created a smaller version of the tent with just one blanket yesterday. It doesn't look like much in this photo but it was so cool to climb inside our tent and peak outside at the trees. When my husband came home from work, Little K and I hid in the tent. Finally, Trent found us... our giggles gave us away. Imagination at its finest.
Until the next nap time...

MRI Update

Yes, I will return your phone call. Thank you for your thoughts & prayers.

Okay, I had the MRI done this morning. I was fine until I realized that I'd also have an IV for the "with contrast" MRI, meaning they inject dye into my body to make the contrast. So.... I had the "without contrast MRI" first, which lasted 30 minutes. Luckily, I'm honing my visualization skills by imagining I'm on a nice beach in Mexico rather than in this tomb-like MRI. That loud noise? It's just the waiter shaking my margarita. (smile)

After 30 minutes, the machine rolled me out. The technician hooked me up to the IV to get the dye in. The scary part -- besides the whole needle issue -- was that he asked if I'd ever had this done before. Uh, no. "Okay," he said. "The dye is going to work its way through your body through all your capillaries. If anything hurts, let me know." Wow. That's comforting. Really.

After the needle being jerked around in my arm, I didn't feel anything. The machine pulled me back into the tomb & the "with contrast MRI" took another 10 minutes. I think I fell asleep at some point, so obviously it was not a big deal.

Unfortunately, the technician wouldn't let me see the scans and said I'd hear from my doctor next week. The process? A radiologist reviews the scans and makes a report, which is then turned over to my doctor. So much for seeing what's in my head. This exercise is just to make sure there are no tumors or anything growing in my brain. I've been so stressed out lately so I know all this is due to stress but it's better to be safe than sorry. I'll update you when I hear the news. Please cross your fingers & say at least a prayer. Thanks.

Until the next nap time...

Managing Stress Amongst the To Do List & Twizzlers

So my daughter loves Twizzlers. For those of you who know me well, it's no surprise. In high school, my friend Jenny and I used to power through a family pack of Twizzlers at the blink of an eye. Yesterday, Little K got one Twizzler for going to the bathroom on the big girl potty. I asked her if I could have one small bite as I helped her get into her PJs. She grew quiet. While I had my head down, focusing on getting her feet into the PJ pants, Little K quickly shoved the whole Twizzler into her mouth. I looked up when I heard giggling. A red licorice mouth was before me, grinning. So much for sharing.

Tomorrow I'm having an MRI to make sure there's not a tumor in my head. Don't worry. There's not. After a meltdown a few weeks ago, I went to my doctor. The docs are sure it's stress-induced but want to cross off the other physical potentials before just dealing with the stress! HA! If only it was that easy. Any ways, I'm not looking forward to the hour-long MRI but I am looking forward to getting out of there & moving on to a simpler lifestyle. I've been reading this book called Breathe: Creating Space for God in a Hectic Life and have been floored at how the people in the book have experienced stress loads and symptoms just like mine. It's so interesting how I just happened to start reading this book now, even though I've had it for 1.5 year. Hmmmm....

More updates tomorrow. I told my friend Amy S. that I'l crack up if the doctors marvel at my pea-sized brain tomorrow. HA!

Until the next nap time...

The Yee Haw Party

Today is Go Texan Day at Little K's nursery school, which meant the two oldest classes were invited to visit the "big kid school" (aka St. Rose Elementary in the Heights) to watch the big kids western dance. As you can tell from the photo, Little K LOVED it. Clapping, singing and saying "Yee Haw!" was right up her alley & her friends'.

It's hard to see the background of this photo but you might be able to make out the fifth graders country dancing. It was too fun, although Little K began to cry when I couldn't stay through lunch and nap time. I hope we can take her back to the Houston Livestock Show in March. It was great last year.

Until the next nap time...

Making the Most of the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo with Kids

Looking for tips on how to navigate the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo? Check out these links on my blog for plenty of suggestions. Enjoy! It's a wonderful event for children.

SORRY I didn't include these links in my newsletter this morning.

10 Tips for Navigating the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo
http://kidsactivityqueen.blogspot.com/2007_03_02_archive.html

Fun in the Rodeo
http://kidsactivityqueen.blogspot.com/2007_03_14_archive.html

Until the next nap time...

Flower Girl Flying High

I just went through my photos & found pics of Little K at my sister's wedding. I was a tad worried about Little K's ability to make it through the ceremony as the flower girl but it ended up fine. Unfortunately, I discovered that Little K REALLY needed a snack half way through the ceremony & I didn't bring one. Otherwise, it went off without a hitch. Here's a photo of Little K doing her "spins" in the bridal suite before the church ceremony. Too fun! I still can't believe this photo is of my almost 3 year old. How time flies!
Until the next nap time...

Get Moving

Here are some snapshots of the "running, walking, skipping & jumping party" that we went to this weekend. Technically, it was the Family 1K, raising money for Catholic schools in the Galveston-Houston archdiocese. We thought it was a lot of fun.

Until the next nap time...

Weekend Update

So we opted out of the 5k this weekend for the Family 1K and it was an absolute blast. I'll post photos this afternoon. I couldn't believe how much Little K ran. It was so cute to see her run like that... That little body was moving.

After the "big run", we decided Little K needed some new tennis shoes so we visited Stride Rite. My Grammy says that while the shoes are more expensive, they last longer and are better for kids' feet. We got two pairs of shoes for Little K, although she's insisting on only wearing one pair now.

Our next stop was Barnes & Noble to pick up a copy of Everyone Poops. No, I'm not kidding. I was embarrassed to take the book to the counter so I just pretended like my husband made me do it. Little K loves the book but I'm not sure it's having any effect on her doing "#2" on the potty. Is it wrong for me to pray for her to be potty trained? She's so close ... and then she'll have an accident. Little K is also worried about being in trouble with her teacher because apparently her teacher tells her "no, no, we don't go potty in our big girl pants." Little K then thinks she's in trouble. I'm looking for the light at the end of the tunnel.

Until the next nap time...

Preparing for First 5K with a Preschooler

We're preparing for Saturday morning's "Steps 4 Students" 5K as we raise money for St. Rose of Lima Catholic School in the Heights. Little K and I discussed it this morning. Since I didn't think she'd understand what a 5K is, I told her that it's a running/walking/skipping/jumping party for St. Rose School (aka: the big kid school). I'm excited to say that St. Rose School has raised more than $20k so far for this event -- 100 percent of which goes directly to this school. St. Rose is also the top money raiser for this event out of all the schools in the Galveston-Houston archdiocese. Way to go! Wish us luck. A 5k (3 miles) is a long haul for an "almost 3" year old, especially with Mommy & Daddy in tow! HA!

Until the next nap time...

There's A Stranger in My House

Yesterday, I came home for lunch but still had my mind on my work. I ran into the kitchen, put my work bag down and started pulling together some lunch. Suddenly, I heard a man's voice in my house but his voice was a bit garbled. I knew my husband was not home so I was struck still with fear. Although I stood one step from a drawer full of knives, I was paralyzed and couldn't figure out how to get to a knife to protect myself.

"Garble, garble," he said again.

What in the world is he saying, I thought with my brain racing.

"M is for Map," my daughter's talking puzzle said again from the living room sofa.

M is for MADDENING, I thought as my fear subsided. Little K had started her talking alphabet puzzle that morning, hadn't finished it before leaving for school so Mr. Puzzle continued to talk. He spoke every 10 seconds until I put all 26 alphabet pieces correctly in place. And I thought I knew my alphabet! Lyrics from country singer Ronnie Milsap's song "There's A Stranger in My House" have comically run through my head ever since.

Until the next nap time...