My mom, Gates and I have been taking lots of trips to the museums, the local gymnasium, Chuck E Cheese, and the local rec centers -basically ANY PLACE we can run and jump and move. And no, the Smithsonians do not market themselves as "indoor playlands." However, you must admit that they are WAY better and bigger than any fast food playland, and besides, we get to learn stuff as we run by it.
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We've also played just about every indoor game on the planet - have you heard of Skunk Bingo or Elefun (both great games). We've built forts. And of course, we've had approximately 10 zillion car races. We've had play dates and made cookies; we've made macaroni crafts and glued puppets. We've made masks and used other items to provide entertainment in the afternoon.
We tried out roller skating night at a local junior high. My dad skated, I wiped out, Gates ran at full speed BETWEEN the other roller skaters, and my mom chased after Gates. I think my mom and I got the most exercise that night. (notice Gates flying by in the picture)
When the weather hits 37 degrees, my mom wraps us up like Eskimos and we head out to the park. For some reason, we've had the parks completely to ourselves - maybe the other kids are out of town? And when it snows - even a dusting - we also head outdoors. Gates, as you may know, has been against shoes since birth. He doesn't dislike them, he abhors them. Why am I including this at this point in my story? Well, because one day he decided to play in the snow for about 10 minutes with NO shoes on! He was super happy, running around, laughing and then all of a sudden - YIKES! I must say, I was impressed that he lasted that long. And since that day, he has hardly objected to his shoes, so maybe the near-frostbite afternoon run was worth it!?!!
One chilly night we had some friends over for a pizza, movie, ice cream sundae night. It was awesome. And I guess if this is what the cold is all about, I don't mind it every once in a while...