I think it’s such a great idea to sketch and draw little pictures of my spawnling as she grows up, trying to capture her as I would describe her at that age. I then try and save those little pictures so that one day I can make a collage of it all and I can see my daughter before me as I saw her at those times for all those years. This is the one I did of her when she was 2 years old.
I know that I can do the same thing with pictures, but for me personally, this is so much more meaningful because some of the best pictures are the ones taken by accident. With there being so many moments I want to capture, to immortalize, I find myself living behind the camera and not interacting. When I look at this drawing, I remember all the memories I thought about while I drew it. I have pictures, don’t get me wrong, by with this, I have memories.
Sometimes it’s just all about making snack time look delicious. Freshly peeled orange with a handful of blueberries in the middle. Makes for a happy after nap time snack.
When I moved to this wonderful area around Portland, I was introduced to a regional chain of stores called Fred Meyer. If you’ve never been to one, the store is kind of like a Walmart or Target, with the various departments, including grocery. There is one aspect that this store chain has that I haven’t encountered with the other two chains.
Fred Meyer has something called Playland. I will never be able to sing enough praises about Playland.
Playland is a little room that they have in the store that’s filled with toys for your child to play with while they’re there. The best part is that you can just drop them off to play for an hour. A WHOLE HOUR! How many of you parents out there wish that you could just get an hour of peace for the day
Image courtesy of Naypong at FreeDigitalPhotoes.net
There are rules of course.
You can only drop your child off for an hour per day. No longer than that, but there is no limit on how many days you can take your child per week.
You have to wear one of those annoying paper wrist bands while your child wears a matching one in Playland. I feel that it has the dual purpose for not only identifying you as the one who dropped off your child but also so you don’t forget that you brought your child with you to the store.
No, I have never forgotten my child, but I’ve heard stories.
Your child has to be between the ages of 2 to 5 and be potty trained. They won’t be changing any diapers for you.
Your child cannot take any of their toys in with them and they cannot take any toys out. So if your child is like my spawnling and has a toy that they cannot live without, you need to prepare them for the separation period.
You have to remain inside the building. You need to be able to hear the page should you be needed at Playland immediately. Here are some reasons:
Your child needs to use the restroom. Only an authorized guardian is able to remove your child from Playland, even if its just to take them to the restroom.
Your child is misbehaving and they need to leave Playland for the rest of the day. I’d assume they’d tell you if your child was no longer welcome.
Your child has been in there for over an hour and its time for you to come retrieve them.
The last rule is a little bit flexible. There are plenty of times I’ll go drop off the spawnling and I’ll let the attendant there know that I’ll be outside doing my recycling. They consider this to be perfectly acceptable because they can page me out where the recycling is at the store I frequent. If you have any questions, ask the attendant. They’re always happy to answer any questions that you might have.
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
I feel that I would be remiss if I did not also mention that there are days when you drop off your child and when you come back, you discover that they have done arts and crafts, or colored. My daughter has come home with some of these things that she made while in Playland, and she is always super excited and happy to show me.
There are also days when they’re giving away balloons and your child will get their very own balloon to bring home. Admittedly annoying for some parents, but it’s amazing for your child when typically all they get is a sticker when they leave.
If you’re a parent with a child between the ages of 2 and 5, then I strongly recommend using this lovely service. It’s absolutely amazing, and there are times when you just need that hour away from your child before you snap. And if your child is anything like my spawnling, they’ll start to demand for you to take them to Playland.
Wenchlette Wanders 