The City Bus

Eva has been fascinated with buses for a while now. I think the "Wheels on the Bus" song was a major catalyst. Especially when we learned the verse about the money going "clink, clink, clink" from Christin back in the summer of 2014. 

So we took a ride.

We boarded the #82 COTA bus at the nearest stop to our house. Just 0.2 miles from our house for an approximate 3 minute walk. I paid my $2 adult fare - clink, clink, clink - while children under 48 inches are free.  The #82 took us on a 45 minute loop through Grandview,  Lennox Town Center, the OSU medical center and campus. 

We enjoyed the sites. We sang the "Wheels on the Bus" song. We greeted new passengers. Then we got back off right where we started... which is by our favorite Grandview park. 

Play Time!!!

Other low cost fun that we have enjoyed...

Wyman Woods Park - FREE

Library Stories on the Lawn - FREE

Tuesdays at Little Green House play cafe - $3

Krema Nut Company Milkshake - $3.50

Grandview Pool- $3 (after 6pm)

Apples and Cookies at Giant Eagle - FREE with $1 Treat Card

Drive-Thru Car Wash - $5

Picture Wall: Contact Paper, Painters tape, and foam pieces (all items were things we had)

Little Skipper's

There is a plethora of places around town to take your little ones on a cold day. My friend, Stacie, has done all the research for me. See Here: Indoor Play.  (P.S. Stacie also posted about our fun little Galentine's Day Brunch with beautifully pink photos.)

Today, per the suggestion of my dear friend, Ruth, we decided to head to Little Skipper's in Hilliard. I really wanted to visit with Ruth and celebrate her new job (praise!) but needed a space for Eva to run out some energy. Little Skipper's Play Cafe was the perfect location. It is very cute and super friendly. 

When we arrived there were some little boys playing. One came up to Eva and stated, "We will name you -- Lauren." Ha. I suppose a new "play cafe code name" is part of the initiation. 

Eva wasn't quite done playing with all the dolls and toys when we gathered her up for lunch at Panera, but we will be back soon.

Several boats to row!

Eva shows off motor skills to Ruth in the
Infant Play Area. See how Audrey is "playing".

Cozy seat for Audrey. 

Our friendly cashier looks for the money. 

Yay! A babydoll stroller. 

Even better... a babydoll stroller with a cupcake! Ooo!

We've discovered Play-Doh

I can't believe we are there already but we are. Eva can play with Play-Doh. Her attention span for it is about 5-10 minutes but I think that is pretty good. She still likes rolling it in her hands and flattening it out.

Using cookie cutters with the Play-Doh.

My grandma used to use phonebooks
as booster seats for us. This seemed to
fit the bill today. 

This was when I said, "Smile and show Mommy your Play-Doh."
Obviously, not willing to deviate from the task-at-hand.

So, the traditional store-bought playdough is easy to come by but there are a few homemade recipes out there that do the trick, too.
This is one like my mom used to make for us kids:

• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup salt
• 1 tablespoon cream of tartar
• Food coloring
• Saucepan
• 1 cup flour

Directions

1. Combine water, oil, salt, cream of tartar, and food coloring in a saucepan and heat until warm.
2. Remove from heat and add flour.
3. Stir, then knead until smooth. The cream of tartar makes this dough last 6 months or longer, so resist the temptation to omit this ingredient if you don't have it on hand.
4. Store this dough in an airtight container or a Ziploc freezer bag.

My wonderful friend, Ruth, who spends two days-a-week with Eva, made something similar to this recipe for our little girl one week.

1 cup oatmeal baby cereal (or rice cereal for a gluten-free option)
1 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup apple sauce (one packet of the squeezable kind)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Food coloring of choice

Mix the baby cereal and cornstarch together well. Add in the apple sauce, vegetable oil, and food coloring and knead with hands until the dough is a thick, moldable consistency resembling play dough. Repeat for additional colors. Dough can be refrigerated when not being used for up to 4 days. Simply microwave it for approximately 15 seconds or however long to warm it up to where it is moldable. 

Summer

We have had some good times this summer.  We have taken too many pictures capturing the memories we have shared this season (just a small sample posted here). We have spent precious time with lots of friends and family and with each other. Our bellies have been full of good food throughout. How thankful we are!

It sounds like I am saying goodbye to summer already. I kind of am. Keith goes away to band camp next week and the week after that I am back in the classroom for some August sessions at school.  We also welcome sun and fun, even during the school year but our brief "lazy days" of summer are nearing their end. 

Making bread in the breadmaker with Christin.
So interesting, so yummy!

Eva loves the old mama goat at the petting zoo.

There's a big cat, Mom!

A stop at Grandpa's Cheesebarn is always a great idea. 

Lake views with Daddy and cousin, Lina. 

Trying on the life jacket wasn't the greatest experience...

... But we managed to make sure it
stayed on during the boat ride. 

Playing with buddy Charlie. 

We love the neighborhood pool.
What a great way to keep cool!

Enjoying BNL ... before the thunderstorm rolled in. 

Play Cafe - Party @ eat play love

This time our visit to a play cafe was for a super-fun birthday party for Larkyn and Rhys! Eat Play Love in Lewis Center was a great space for Stacie to have the Peppa Pig themed 2-for-1 birthday party on a Palm Sunday afternoon.

This big open room had plenty of play things for kids of all ages: bouncers to slides. There was also plenty of soft chairs and couches to lounge on with little ones or to just relax. 

We had our meal of birthday sandwiches and birthday goodies so we didn't get to check out the food or prices of the play cafe. Also, Lewis Center is a little bit of hike for us so this may be our only trip to Eat Play Love unless Stacie has a party there next year. (Keith even said as we were leaving the house, "Lewis Center? Yikes. Pack a bag." - Yup, we are city folk!)

The best part was that Eat Play Love was filled with all kids we knew. (Or who knew Larkyn and Rhys.) What a fun visit!

Watch me go UP the slide. Weeeeee.

Play Cafe - Little Green House

We've been trying to check out the Columbus Play Cafe scene recently. This time my mom went with us. It was Friday after nap time so Eva was ready for some play time. The sun was shining but it was cold... a perfect time for Grandview's play cafe: Little Green House. 

Stacie reviewed it a couple of years ago and I had been wanting to get there. The admission was just $5 which was cheaper than it used to be, but not as cheap as free. (Firefly and Little Skipper's are free for kiddos under 12 months.) 

No other kids were there during our visit which was unfortunate for our social little girl, but we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless. We listened to the toddler songs that played in the spacious play area. My mom and I shared a cup of hot cocoa. Eva put fake fruit in in her mouth and tried out the big green slide. And the whole place smelled delicious as the kitchen was being used to make butternut squash pasta for Little Dreamers, Big Believers daycare centers.