New to Me

Perhaps you all think that I’ve been Slacky-McSlackster because it has been the longest stretch ever that I’ve gone without a post.  Au contraire!  I am systematically going through all of those links I put together to try to get on everyone’s email lists and RSS feeds to serve you better!  And it all takes more time than I expected, of course.  So I was sitting here working on this and it occurred to me that perhaps you didn’t pore over the entire link page (like I did).  Therefore, may I please call your attention to some items that I am excited about?

Albany Art Room As soon as I found this I started hearing about it everywhere, like on NPR and linked hither, thither, and yon.   But before that I’d never heard of it.  A bunch of art supplies, do what you want.  Also clay and pottery classes for kids.  It sounds like the kind of thing that’s more about passion for art than making money, so I just want to support it and go.  It’s on our list, can’t wait to try it.

Hyde Collection I’d heard of this museum, and in all fairness, I used to work in an historic house, so it’s my cup o’ tea.  But poking around their website made me excited, because I have a feeling that they’ve got an attitude that I like.  First, suggested donation!  I love it!  And not just because I’m cheap (although you know I am), but philosophically, I think that luring people in, making them love you, and then asking for money is the way to go, if it’s at all economically feasible.  And then, they have a regular weekly free after-school art program.  I like that. I wish more places would do that sort of thing, especially because as a former museum educator, I know how grateful people are.  I could rant about this for several paragraphs, but I’ll save it for another day.

Treepaad Fun Center Okay, I was torn on this one.  When I stumbled on the website, I was all [insert celestial sounding, “AAAAHHHH!” here], wow, looks so fabulous.  And then I was looking at prices and the fact that it was in Malta and I was pondering, hmm, is it worth it, I wonder?  And then I came to post, and what was in the comments from my lovely friend Hollow Squirrel?

Katie, we just returned from a most fantastic 5th birthday party up in Malta at TreePaad. You must bring the girls up to check it out. I’m not sure the cost (since it was covered for the party), but it’s a GREAT outing. We didn’t play LaserTag, but we played games in the arcade (takes tokens and all the games worked, unlike some arcades around here). They have a huge 2 story climbing/sliding/shooting balls area that was great fun for adults and kids. My 20 month old enjoyed all the areas, even the kiddie area with lots of cool, clean climbing/tumbling mats and a train table. The place also serves food (the pizza was actually nummy– I even asked where they got it) and the toys that you can score with the tickets were pretty decent comparatively! They also feature a build-a-friend station and many side rooms for birthday parties. I promise it’s worth the drive up to Malta. Oh, and did I mention they will even do adult parties with alcohol?

So, there you have it–gushing!  And I noticed that during February break, they’re doing a 2 hours for $20 unlimited activities deal.  Uhh, it’s still some cash, but for a couple of times a year (particularly during the fearsomely cold week of February) maybe worth it?  Although perhaps it will be a mob scene?  Well, I’m up for a trip sometime. . . who’s coming?

If anyone wants to weigh in on one of these, I’d love to hear about what you thought.

Finally, one item for tomorrow is that there are free Music Together classes in Loudonville: check out Heidi’s Place for more info.