Apples 🍎 Laundry 🧺 Bookings 😩

A wonderful, rainy, cozy Saturday morning. A thought creeps in “we need to bring kids to events more. Plays? Museums? Concerts? We are shortchanging them by only having them in gymnastics, they are missing out on life, we are RUINING OUR KIDS. WE SUCK as parents!” I know, I know, thoughts like that are completely unfounded, and L and R lead great, privileged lives, and, and… But our weekends are pretty low key, apart from gymnastics on Saturday mornings, and mom guilt is creeping in.

I open the browser and start looking for fall + winter activities: kid-friendly plays, concerts, and other local events. There is such variety that I soon have a headache and major FOMO. However, I narrow my search down to a few places: the State Theater of New Jersey in New Brunswick, New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, Mayo Theater in Morristown, and Watchung Reservation (our local nature reserve, spans around 7 or 8 towns all around it).

I ended up booking ONE event for next Friday night: “Hayrides and campfires” at the Watchung reservation. We have gone twice before with L and had a good time. Last year, I wanted to bring both kids but I remember R was a bit under the weather, it was after dark, and the hay ride on a tractor through the reservation can be too much for a two year old. This year he is three so he should be fine. Tickets: $6 per person for county residents which we are.

Other ideas from my search:

The Nutcracker (ballet) – only with L (R could care less about ballet). $79 p.p.
A Charlie Brown Christmas (musical) – both? $59
Longwood Gardens Christmas Lights Spectacular (outside after 6PM, brrrrr) – the 4 of us? $15 p.p.
A Magical Cirque Christmas (a holiday variety show) both kids? $69 p.p.
MOMIX: Alice (illusion, acrobatics, magic, and whimsy) – the whole family? Or just me and the kids? $69 p.p.

Maybe one show per month? One in October (see above), one in November (say, Momix Alice?) and one in December (Christmas lights)?

Other weekend happenings…

🍎 Apple picking in Basking Ridge, NJ. 🌹 Gardening: mainly removing dead wild flowers and general fall clean up. 🎥 Movies: Charlie Brown Pumpkin, the Addams Family, Soft and Quiet (disturbing, watched with T after the kids went to bed). Coloring, popcorn, and other things to fill in the time. Oh and laundry, let’s not forget laundry.

The upcoming week…

…seems light. Tomorrow the kids are home with T (working from home) but my school is open for half a day with the rest of the week being regular schedule. T is at NY ComicCon on Thursday and Friday so that will be fun. His friend and he are going as Paul Bearer and the Undertaker. They look awesome!!

When was the last time you went to see a show? With or without kids? How was that experience?

Posted by:

Daria

Mother, teacher, partner, friend. I love coffee, books, and travel with and without kids. I dislike exercise. Nothing glamorous here but do have moments of insight.

14 responses to “Apples 🍎 Laundry 🧺 Bookings 😩 ”

Elisabeth

October 8, 2023

Your kids seem to have INCREDIBLE lives. Traveling to Portugal and Spain! That is not typical! And France next year. I’m still so amazed you did that – much of it solo – with your kids.

My kids were very “underscheduled” – some of it by choice and some of it because of COVID, but now that they’re older they’re naturally getting drawn into things they love. It’s fun and I’m enjoying this season of life because their activities seem to bring them a lot of joy. But still, I really try to manage it so we have complete days off from activity, and at this point there is NOTHING on the weekends. That will soon change when my son starts basketball and will have a pickup game every Sunday afternoon.

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1. Daria
  
  October 10, 2023
  
  Thank you for writing that, your words ring true!
  
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Melissa

October 8, 2023

I’m in agreement with elisabeth, your kids have heaps of exposure to cultural things. You certainly don’t need to feel pressured to do more, but the things you’ve picked out sound lovely. I hope they are a bright spot in your months coming up.

We took all our adult kids to a Light Show at the botanical gardens in July which is also the last thing like that I’ve done although we’ve got our travel coming up so I’ve gotl ots planned for then. Our son loves musicals and took his girlfriend to see Moulin Rouge last week so they can grow into it.

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1. Daria
  
  October 10, 2023
  
  I would love to see Moulin Rouge! Actually, I would love to see anything really. Maybe, just maybe, it’s ME who needs to get out more and not them 😜
  
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Lisa’s Yarns

October 9, 2023

I agree with Elisabeth – your kids have done SO MUCH! I didn’t get on an airplane until I was 19! And I still think of myself as having had a pretty good childhood. I think to have one thing/weekend that gets us out of the house, be it gymnastics, going to a park, or going to the library. They are entertained by very small things so I keep the bar low. The last show I went to was The Grinch at the children’s theater last November with Paul. I LOVED IT SO MUCH so I am going again with both kids this year but in December so closer to the holiday. The boys adore the movie and it’s aimed at little kids so the length is perfect. I think it’s 1.5 hours total with an intermission. I’m also taking Paul to Wild Kratts Live which he is SO EXCITED about. He’s a huge fan of the show. I love it, too, so I think it will be a fun experience for us. Right now, we tend to leave Will behind for special events like this. Paul and I are going to a pumpkin event at the zoo but it starts at 7pm so it will get too late for Will. He doesn’t seem to have FOMO yet, though.

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1. Daria
  
  October 10, 2023
  
  That reminds me when R was still a baby, L and I went to see Peppa Pig Sing along (hilarious) and Paddington Bear Gets In Trouble (a kids play, very good). So I know L likes theater. But there are no Swan Lakes in the near future (Swam Lake=4 hours 😜
  
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NGS

October 9, 2023

The last time I saw a show as pre-COVID. LOL. I just always feel sort of let down by those types of experiences. We did some “agricultural tourism” this weekend where we went to a farm with a corn maze, hayride, and petting zoo and that was fun, so I think your kids would definitely enjoy that sort of thing!

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1. Daria
  
  October 10, 2023
  
  Before kids, omg, we would go all the time since we live so close to NYC. And then we had kids lol
  
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J

October 10, 2023

My daughter is introverted enough that she was always pretty protective of her down time. My niece and nephew are extroverted enough that they are go go go! I guess a lot of it depends on your and your energy needs, and them and their energy needs. One thing a month, though, sounds completely doable and like it would not stress anyone out.

I have fond memories of Longwood Gardens when we lived in Philly. I vote for that, even though dark and maybe cold.

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1. Daria
  
  October 10, 2023
  
  That’s what I’m thinking! If we bundle up, hats, gloves, warm coats, we should be okay! I’ve been in New Jersey for 20 years and never done a Christmas light show. So looking forward to that 🙂
  
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San

October 14, 2023

Echoing everybody else: your kids have done/seen a lot for their age… don’t feel bad that you’re not overscheduling them with activities and outings. I actually think it’s pretty healthy for kids to learn to entertain themselves and not expect constant entertainment.

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Diane

October 16, 2023

well, I work in theatre, so I always want to take my kids to see things and feel like I don’t take them to see enough live performances. I don’t think I’ve seen anything since this summer, though – I saw an opera and then took the 11 year old to see a play. The irony is that even though I work in theatre, I don’t actually go that often because I’m often working at night.
We go to Longwood Gardens several times a year, but we’ve never made it to the Christmas lights. It’s just close enough that we can do a day trip, but we have to leave by 5pm to get home for bedtime and the lights always start after that. Every year we say, “Maybe next year we’ll get a hotel and stay later!”

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1. Daria
  
  October 16, 2023
  
  Hey Diane! That makes sense. I long for live theater especially since COVID.
  
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Sunday Thoughts – Mom of Children

October 22, 2023

[…] B – the Underwater Bubble Show, and in December – the Nutcracker. I remember that I mused about how taking the kids to a show once a month really should be doable. And it […]

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