Exploring the Decatur Children's Museum

The endless cold and piles of snow have kept us cooped in side for far too long in the Midwest.  The indoor activities are becoming very redundant and I cringe anymore when Mickey Mouse saunters onto the television screen with his big goofy grin and wave.  M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E has been stuck in my head too many times to count this winter.  It’s all just getting a little O-L-D.

Aside from pulling the plug on the Disney Junior channel, and ultimately Mickey for my sanity, which would break Miss A’s heart, we needed something to do to get out of the house this past weekend.  After a grumpy toddler meltdown, we bundled up and headed to the local Children’s Museum (with her Minnie Mouse doll in hand, of course).  We had been there once before baby when we were volunteering with Big Brothers, Big Sisters; however that had been many years ago and things are so much more special when experiencing them through the eyes of your own child.

In our grand plan of getting out of the house, we failed to check the Children’s Museum website and ultimately chose a really bad day for our first outing.  The parking lot was packed when we arrived.  Maybe it’s just a birthday party, we said with optimism.  The crowded lot would not destroy our cold day adventure.

Once we entered the building, packed with parents, toddlers and teenagers, we quickly learned it was not a birthday party, but a special event day which drew a huge crowd.  Since we were already there we decided to make the best of the day.  

Anderson clung to JC’s shoulders as she was overwhelmed with the sights, sounds and number of kids running around the space. Once she decided to join in the crazy, loud fun, she found that she loved the “choo choo.”  The hanging train display rolled through a path around the climbing jungle gym.  Another favorite was the new Seed to Shelf area, where she got to throw the fruits and vegetables into their designated bins in the grocery store.  She also liked pushing the grocery cart around and finding food to buy.  The water table was another hit.

Miss A suffered a hit too.  She was gleefully running between the exhibits and got football tackled by a bigger kid, also running between displays.  The kid apologized and felt very badly.  Anderson quickly recovered herself and went back to playing.  She’s a resilient little thing, and was having too much fun to let a tackle by a big kid keep her down.  

We did not get to explore much of the second floor exhibits as that was where the special event was being held.  It was pure madness upstairs with teenagers running around screaming.  When we tried to venture upstairs to check it out, we quickly decided it wasn't worth the headache.

Overall, we really enjoyed the Decatur Children’s Museum and will definitely go back to visit, but not before checking the website for the special events calendar!  Lesson learned there.

Winter Weather Widow

What seemed like never-ending piles of snow and bitterly cold temperatures.  Days spent cooped up in the house, trying to stay warm.  That was our winter in the Midwest. 

Those days spent snowed in were great as I got to spend a lot of quality time with my daughter – much of that time I normally would have spent behind my desk at work.  On the other hand, those days were very difficult as I learned, for a short time, the struggles of being a single parent.

Snuggled up in bed for breakfast.

 

When most people are making preparations for an extended period stuck at home during winter weather, I’m preparing to spend the next few days as a solo parent.  Because of JC’s job as a Meteorologist, during winter weather, tornadoes, floods or any of Mother Nature’s other weather wonders, he is required to be at work reporting on the weather event.  We are lucky that he doesn't have to spend extended periods of time outside or in dangerous situations like emergency workers, but the time away still comes at a cost to our family.

Before our sweet baby girl arrived, this was an exciting event for JC.  During the slow, boring days of fall he would look forward to being challenged forecasting snow and ice totals.  This year, however, that changed a little, especially when he spent nearly 72 hours straight at the station reporting and forecasting the winter weather.



Snow days are so much fun!

This isn’t the first time he’s spent days away from home due to winter weather events, and likely won’t be the last time.  It does get frustrating to constantly be at the mercy of Mother Nature, but I did know what I was getting into when I married a Meteorologist.  Unfortunately, the weather doesn’t stop when a little baby arrives.  It just makes it harder for both JC and I to deal with the not-so-fun parts of his job.





Sporting my EIU sweatshirt to stay warm.

During those long, cold days alone with an infant and very energetic dog, I learned to appreciate the tremendous help of having a partner to assist with parenting duties.  Being alone for just a few days doesn’t even compare to any of the challenges a single parent faces daily, but it made me appreciate the great job that single parents have.  It also made me thankful to have such a hands on Dad as a husband.  I never realized how much of the parenting duties he took on until he wasn't around.

I also learned to embrace my independence and become even more self-reliant.  Anderson, Wrigley and I have huddled downstairs in the basement during tornadoes, in bed when the heat has gone out and spent a few nights alone watching the snow fall. 

We all know that there will be many more days spent alone waiting out the weather in the basement or cuddled under a blanket.  This winter was a big challenge for everyone in our family.  If we can get through this tough winter, we can make it through other weather events just fine; however I know we are all hoping for some bright, sunny, calm weather forecasted for this summer.