Road Trip!

A couple of weeks ago, I loaded up the kids, and we took a little road trip to Champaign.  We originally planned to go to the Indoor Playground at the First Christian Church, which is a-mazing. Unfortunately, their hours have changed a bit since the last time we were there, and they're no longer open on Fridays.  Of course, it  was a Friday... so we decided to check out a new play area at Windsor Road Christian Church.  (What's with chuirches opening play areas?  Is that a "thing" now?)

Anyway, I knew this play area was much smaller, but we're all pretty easily entertained, especially during the last days of winter.

I used to attend Windsor Road (albiet infrequently) when I lived in Champaign, and it was such an odd feeling going in the door now as a married lady with two kids; one of those moments where you realize how much your life has changed in such a short time.

The playground done in a Road Rally theme, and the space is small but well-allocated.  There is one big slide.

Haha, everybody decided to be tough guys, going down backwards and hanging on the bars.

There is also a smaller structure, which unsurprisingly, Carter was more interested in than Jacob.

Then we realized that there were tons of Legos under the hood of this "truck." My kids aren't really into Legos, but I can imagine some kids would have a blast just sitting here and building.

I made some Lego cars for them, and being able to race cars down the slide gave it a whole new use.

Another thing we really liked was this climbing structure.

Such a monkey!

The other really cool area was a huge traffic cone with pillows and a furry rug.  To me, it looks like a great area to read books, but since we didn't bring any books, the kids crawled through it and they were done.

There was a nice, new coffee bar area off the play area, so we went out there and had a snack.  They also had a complimentary coffee bar set up, which was awesome.  By the time we finished our snack, approximately 45 billion kids had taken over the play area.  Seriously.  So the kids even agreed it was time to be done.

Overall, I give the space an A for effort.  In the middle of winter, it's great to have somewhere indoors to take your kid that isn't McDonald's, so props to Windsor Road for allowing this space for community use.  I would say the play area is best suited for kids who are preschool-age and younger. Would we come here again?  Although I probably wouldn't make the drive specifically to go to this play area, it would be a fun place to stop if we were already in town for another reason.  My kids always enjoy playing somewhere new!

10 Things

It's been a while since I've done one of these kind of posts, so here goes...

1. I am a sucker for anything labeled, "Limited Time." Oreos, that are yellow for a limited time for spring?  Must. Have.

2.  In 2005, I had a job interview at a physician recruiting firm on the same street at Frank's office.  We were less than two blocks apart that morning, but we wouldn't meet for another two years.

3.  When I was 15, I was in a car accident with two of my best girlfriends and three of our best guy friends on our way to a Valentine's dance.  We jumped a ditch and hit a telephone pole... none of us were wearing seatbelts.  Somehow we all managed to walk away with nothing more than scratches and bruises, and from that day on, I have worn my seatbelt religiously, even if I'm doing nothing more than backing the car out of the garage to wash it.

4.  I use some of the words my kids say/have said incorrectly as actual vocabulary.  For example, instead of shaving, both kids say, "razing."  As in, "Daddy is razing his whiskers." (Because what should a razor do?  It should raze.  Silly English language.)  Carter has also flipped the contraction "I'm" with the possessive "my," and he'll say, "My coming with you!" Rather than, "I'm coming with you." That flip miiiight have worked it's way into my vocabulary as well.  (Only with family, though!)

5.  I don't like Indian food.  Truthfully, I haven't tried many dishes, but I'm not a fan of the ones I've tried.

6.  If I start a house project, it will have one of two endings. First ending- it will make me realize I need to do a whole bunch of additional projects; or Second ending- I will completely screw it up, and there will be lots of tears and drama until I figure out how to fix it.

7.  As a sophomore in college, I was hired as a student worker in the Office of the Chair of the School of Business.  I was so proud because it was the first job I felt I'd gotten on my own, and not because my boss knew my dad.

8.  I prefer fruit flavored candy over chocolate candy.  My favorite candies are, Jolly Ranchers, Starburst, and jellybeans.

9.  Every year especially around this time, I dream of going to the Iris show at the Chicago Botanic Garden or to the Tulip Time Festival in Holland, Michigan.  One day...

10.  Everyone assumes I hate having my picture taken because there are so few pictures of me.  The truth is, I don't mind having my picture taken, but I'm usually behind the camera! This weekend, I needed to update my "professional" pic, so here is one of the outtakes!