Saturday, September 22, 2007

You know, for kids...

The Picnic
Living in a world of grownups means kids relish things that are made for them. So when the Hubs and I were making the sandwiches yesterday for a picnic with our niece, Rachel, we cut them into quarters - a sandwich format that is more fun and easier for little fingers to hold, although (arguably) messier when it comes to PBJs. Also, I don't think Rachel would've finished a whole sandwich, but she did eat four sandwich triangles. Sneaky, huh? ;)

The Ballet
We took Rachel, and our picnic, to Ballet Under the Stars. Once the performance started, Rachel sat captivated by the dancers - for a bit. I guess first grade really wears you out, because she was tired and wanting to go home halfway through the first piece. And therein lies the beauty of these free, introduce-your-kids-to-the-arts functions: you can imbibe a little culture, and then if the kid is tired/cranky/hungry, you can leave without feeling any pressure to "get your money's worth." So we stuck around until the people whose stuff we were watching got back from the bathroom, and, by then, I think we'd seen most of the performance anyway. So it all worked out.

The Zoo
This morning Rachel and I dropped the Hubs off at work (poor guy) and then went to the zoo. She played for a long time in the splash playground and got thoroughly soaked. On a normal hot sunny Arizona day, she would've dried in no time, and maybe that's why I forgot to bring a towel. If you were in Phoenix today, you already know it wasn't a normal day. It was cloudy, humid and just cool enough to make a wet Rachel shiver. Fortunately, I had thrown a hoodie in my backpack on the off chance it would get chilly and/or rainy later on. She was happy to wrap up in that and wander around the zoo like a mini-Jedi.
Lesson learned: You can't/won't always bring everything you'll need, so bring enough to improvise.

I also took the suggestion of bringing a bread bag for Rachel's wet swimsuit. Yep, handy.

6 comments:

  1. Looks like you guys had some fun! How was the ballet performance?

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  2. We did have fun! The ballet was beautiful. I would definitely recommend it. You actually still have a chance to go - there are performances this week in Mesa, Fountain Hills and Phoenix. This website will give you details, and let you know if they have to cancel due to weather.

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  3. How much fun! Sandwiches in quarters always does the trick. I find it works well on adults too! :)

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  4. That's true, Heather! Funny how a slight change from the norm can make a big difference!

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  6. The comment I deleted was actually an ad, which had nothing to do with this blog. The same wording was used in the comments of several other blogs as well. It was irrelevant to this post and this blog.

    I welcome comments, opinions and suggestions. Spam will be removed.

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