Park Day

Cutie Pie and I ran a bunch of errands after we dropped off Wildman at preschool yesterday morning.  As a special treat I swung by a local park on the way home.  The weather was gorgeous but slightly too warm for my taste.  The incredible heat we’ve been experiencing needs to go!

Cutie Pie ran right over to the canal that borders the park.

And began throwing leaves and mulch into the water.

This is a favorite past time for him.  It makes me nervous.  Even though he can swim I’d still be terribly freaked out if he fell into the canal.  I can only imagine how traumatized Cutie Pie would be if he fell into the water unexpectedly.

We checked out this lizard sunning himself next to me on the bench.

After several minutes of leaf/mulch throwing and lizard investigation I suggested we head over to the play ground equipment.  He happily agreed.  I just love the huge grass field at this park.  It makes me want to run too!

There were a bunch of other kids playing on the playground so Cutie Pie, being the slow-to-warm child that he is, was reluctant to play.  Eventually he did manage to climb up one structure that was far away from the other children and slide down the slide.  That was about it.

He much preferred sitting next to me on the bench and using my camera.  Silly kid!

Later that evening, we headed back out for more park fun.  This time Wildman got to go and we went to a different park.  The park we went to was on the beach and we stayed until sundown.  The boys had a blast playing with all of their friends.

Afterward, we headed over to Pizza Hut with Steph and her two boys for dinner.  We sat in a corner where the four boys got their own booth and Steph and I got our own booth.  It worked out wonderfully as long as I kept the carrot sticks and ranch coming!

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Park Playdate with a Surprise!

Just when we moms thought the weather was finally cooling off enough for a park play date…  Mother Nature laughed at us.  I’m so over 90-degree weather.

Last Friday, some of my mom friends and I got together and took 7 children to the park for lunch and a play date.  Luckily there was some shade to be had thanks to a bunch of mature trees but it was still pretty stifling outside.  I should be used to Florida’s one-season-climate but some relief every once in a while would be nice.

The kids didn’t seem to mind the heat.  They raced around shouting and chasing one another.  It was a nice afternoon.  Until one of the boys found a used condom in the gazebo!  I was the first one to see him dangling it in his little hand and immediately gasped in horror.  Probably not the best reaction but GROSS!!!!  Visions of nastiness came to my mind.  I shuddered.

The boy’s mom was so calm about it.  She told him to put down the dirty balloon.  Then she told him that it was used for medical purposed and that he needed to used hand sanitizer ASAP.  I was two steps ahead of her and immediately produced the “magic soap” (what the preschool calls hand sanitizer).   We made every single child wash their hands.

Needless to say, it was time to pack it in after that…  I doubt we’ll be going back to that park any time soon.

It’s a Park Kinda Day

Happy MLK Day everyone! I used to love this holiday when I was in school. It came hot on the heels of winter break and it fell right around my birthday each year. But, now, I have to admit I’m not a huge fan. I’m on the other side of the coin. I’m not a student, I’m a parent!

Now that Wildman is in preschool, my MWF mornings are bliss. Wildman has a great time at school and I get to go to the gym or run errands and spend quality time with Cutie Pie. It’s a nice compromise for all of us. But when I glance at the school calendar and see “Teacher In-service Day” or “School Holiday” I groan a little. I’m not sure why a private preschool has teacher in-service days. They follow the public school calendar so those with older children have the same schedule, I suppose. I’m all for honoring national holidays, don’t get me wrong. It’s these extra days that tick me off. You know that my son’s preschool teacher is not traveling up to the school board for a day of training like public school teachers. She’s taking the day off. I pay tuition for my son to attend school, not have a slew of random days off. If I were a preschool teacher, I would look at this subject very differently. I realize that.

It was a “Teacher In-service Day” last Monday. We went to a newly remodeled beachside park for a playdate with the rest of Wildman’s friends who were home from preschool. It was fun. The kids enjoyed hanging out with one another. Cutie Pie traversed the sand volleyball court many times. But I admit that I was looking forward to Wednesday. Preschool gives Wildman a chance to blow off a lot of the crazy energy he has and it saves my sanity, quite frankly. I’m screwed this summer. I know! I’m think we’ll be spending a lot of time at the grandparents’ pools and having more frequent playdates 🙂

So, that brings us to today. I’m happy to honor the revolutionary civil rights leader. However, I’m already planning another park playdate! We’re going to a little place called Oars and Paddles Park. It has a couple of jungle gyms and swing sets. It’s right on a canal with a boat launch for kayaks and canoes. It’s really a neat place so long as you keep the kids back from the water’s edge. We’ll pack a lunch and eat at the covered pavilion. The sun is shining and it’s in the mid-60’s today. It should prove to be a nice park day.

Enough of my Monday morning rant. Cutie Pie’s banana has been devoured and he wants out his highchair. I’m off to entertain the kiddies and pack lunches.