What Do You Do?

Get out for a few minutes here and there. Let them do fashion shows for you and you be the announcer, cook together, pillow fight!, water gun fight!, find recipes for silly things like slime, take a bus ride to the library, go to the mall and bring change for a couple rides and let them run a muck in the Disney store...make memories that are special for kids!

Yes, find a MOPS or Mom's group, even a Mother's Morning Out group would be great too. My kids also constantly request to go to the mall - they love the play area there, it's air conditioned and you can have a coffee and relax or meet other moms there.

Yeah, it is too hot to be outdoors now. I've been taking my 4 yr old to Pump It UP - it's indoor play area off of Beach Blvd, to Ollie Koala - almost like Chucky Cheese and it's off of Beach Blvd too. Or even the Regency Mall, it's got a play area and a train ride. check out www. jax4kids.com, it's a great website with things to do with kids in Jacksonville, includes places to eat too!

i am a stay at home mom also,well there alot i do with my son,we play learning games ,we watch movies,we color ,he also likes to play with puzzels, we do drawing,and we also have a small pool ,when we go outside partly in the shade so not to get burnt by the sun,sometimes we even take the city bus,he loves that,we go to walmart, dollar store,to the mall sometimes,are even to the goodwill store,he is 4yr old .

T.,
I too am a sahm of 3. My two youngest ones are 2.5 and 18 months so I understand what your going thru. The weather KILLS all of us, so I got a memberhsip from the Hands On Museum I want to say it's $45 a year but way worth it, it's off beach blvd, it's a hands on enviornment for all ages. Toys, post office, grocery store, ball pit, tunnels, basketball, dress up and so much more and of coure a room just for 3 and under. We go there at least once a week:) Then we just do different projects every day, I get all mine either form learning books or online just push in printable.com or your childs age. It's really hard to keep up wtih the, so I have a room filled with their toys, books, ect so they can have alone time as well. My children love to cook with me so I let them help whenever they want even if it does take a little bit more time and patients. Good Luck and I wish you the best.
J. S

hi T.
same thing here. since the hot weather started, around april, we haven't been able to do any outdoorsy stuff. my girls, 2 year old twins, started acting out since we have been staying in the house. i started taking them to playmobil (military tr), but you can put up with that place just so much. so i enrolled them into chesterbrooke academy, palm beach gardens, a few hours a week and they seem to enjoy it. they do stuff there, hang around other kids. all it boiled down for us was the socialization. so maybe enroll them into something???
just an idea

THE PEER AT BAYSHORE IS A GREAT PLACE TO GET ICE CREAM/$1.50. AND ALL KINDS OF NEAT FISH TO LOOK AT. IF IT'S COOL OR NOT TOO HOT, THE PLAYGROUND IS LOTS OF FUN. YOU NEVER GET TOO HOT AT THE BEACH, BUT DON'T FORGET THE SUNSCREEN! THE POOL IS ALWAYS A NICE PLACE TO KEEP COOL. THERE IS A PARK WITH WATER SPOUTS FOR THE KIDS TO PLAY AT HYDE. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THE FL AQUIRIUM IS A BLAST.

T.,
My 17-month old son and I belong to a mom's group that is very active. We do things as a group at least once a week (and oftentimes more than that). The group has members in Riverview, Valrico and Brandon. If you'd like more information, send me a "personal message" and I'll send the info to you. Also, I take my son 1 day a week to Gymboree and he is also starting a class at the YMCA next month. There is also a family resource center in town that has activities every day. Good luck!

http://moms.meetup.com/1416/?gj=sj5

The above is the website for the mom's meetup group in your area. The one here in South Florida has 50-100 activities a week going on. This one looks fairly new with most of the members joining in the last month or so. Hope it helps.

We joined the MOMS Club and do alot of things. We keep very busyand have alot fun & friends now. The website is www.momsclub.org, it will give you info on the nearest chapter.

T.,

Where do you live? I teach a class called StrollerFit downtown St. Pete. It is a great way to meet moms, get a wonderful workout and keep the kids entertained. Your older one is probably in school, the 10 month old would love the class, I'm sure. We also get together outside of class to do play dates and explore Tampa Bay.

Let me know when you would like to join us for your FREE trial class, I'd love to meet you!!

-C. Bruner
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www.strollerfit.com/stpete

Not knowing where in Tampa you live its tough to make specific recommedations, but I've found the Hillsborough County library system to be very good. See if you can find one near you. They have programs for kids on weekdays starting in early september. Also, I just joined the YMCA. They have a great pool, open gymnastics times(ages 1-5 so you could bring both your girls in a couple of months) and classes for kids in swimming, gymnastics, etc. If you don't want to join you might consider enrolling your older daughter in a program just to try it out.

I also have a small kiddy pool for the back yard. If I go out in the morning and set it up in the shade it works well.

HI T.- HOW WELL I REMEMBER THOSE DAY,S. I USE TO GET THE BIGGEST BOX I COULD GET FROM THE LOCAL FURNITURE STORE, CUT A HOLE IN IT AND PUT THINGS INSIDE FOR MY GIRL. SHE COULD SPEND HOURS GOING IN AND OUT OF THAT BOX. SOME OF THE YOUNGEST FAVORITE WAS MY WOODEN SPOONS AND OLD BOXES SO THEY COULD BEAT ON THEM.A THRIFT STORE IS A GOOD PLACE TO FIND CHEAP TOYS SOMETHING NEW FOR THEM TO PLAY WITH. I DON,T KNOW WHERE YOU ARE BUT WILDWOOD FL. HAS SEVERAL THAT IS LOADED WITH CHEAP TOYS.WE HAVE HAD OUR GREATGRAND SON HERE AND I SPENT A LOT OF TIME THERE-HA- NOW THEY ARE BACK IN MICH. AND OH HOW I MISS THEM.T. IF YOU DON,T HAVE AN OLD BOX TRY MAKEING A TENT OUT OF CHAIRS AND AN OLD SHEET NOT ONLY ARE THEY CLOSE TO HEAR YOU ARE THERE BUT FOR SOME REASON CHILDREN LOVE TO GO UNDER THINGS AND PLAY. GOOD LUCK HOPE THIS IDEA WILL HELP..NANNA B

join a mommys group. i am part of the group MOPB and i love it
they do stuff all the time

N.

I am a sahm of three ages 3,5,6. Two are in school and the youngest it at home with me. I take him to the mall play area so that he can play with some other kids. At home we draw and color. I read to him. I have to agree it is too hot to be outside.

I am not a stay at home mom but I only work 4 days a week so I try to do fun stuff on the one day off I have during the week. Early in the morning when she first wakes up I take her for a bike ride and she loves it. Once it starts getting hotter I take her to the pool, the zoo(it is only a few dollars since my daughter is free), I go to the play area at the mall and my daughter's favorite is a pet store. She could spend forever looking at the puppies and fish. I know that Jacksonville has some water areas especially designed for young children, you might want to see what your area has. Also, some libraries and book stores have story time that my daughter loves. They sick and read books and it gives your children a change to interact with other kids. Good luck

i have a 10 year old granddaughter and 2 grandsons 2 and 5 months . the 10yr and 2 year old like to play fort . i put a couple of blankets or sheets over a card table and they crawl under it . like a club house . they have drink boxes and cookies or other snaks under there. some times they cover the whole thing and take a flashlight under there and thats fun for them too. i bang on the top and say theres a boogie man or big monster tryng to get in and they scream and laugh.

from reading the other posts, i get the impression you are in tampa. If this is so, you could check out Hyde Park. It is a great place to walk around and shop, eat lunch, and there is a park that is wonderful there too. the play area is well shaded and there is a water area for the kids as well. We lived walking distance to that park til my son was 16 months and we loved it. west shore and international malls have really nice play areas and if you can spend some money on a season pass, the aquarium is the way to go. its indoors and they also have an outdoor water area.