Escondido Children's Museum

Today with our Meetup group we went to the Escondido Children's Museum. It was our first time going, and on the website it looks quite large, but is, in fact, one room with different areas of interest. I was a little underwhelmed when I first saw the size, but it turns out it was perfect after all. They have a gated fenced-in crawlers area that we stayed in the whole time we were inside (because Genny didn't want to leave my side). They also have a dress up stage area, music area and a huge tree house that you can climb up and see everyone down below. I believe they even had a fireman station where you could put on fireman's clothes and use a real fire hose to 'put out a fire'. Pretty cool!

Outside they had bubbles, bubbles, everywhere! One of the genius bubble stations featured a moat of bubble solution surrounding a platform that you stand on. Add in a hula-hoop and some string to form a pulley system, and you get a giant bubble that you stand in! Genny LOVED that one. I didn't get a picture of her in it, but I did take a picture of it forming a giant bubble.

They also have picnic tables so you can bring your lunch or snack, which was great because one of the ways some of these play spaces get me is when I have to order their food.

As you see from the photos, Genny got pretty wet. She found a watering can and decided she should water the giant bubble station, which meant spilling water all over herself in the process. She also decided she couldn't step over the two inch bubble moat so had to step in it to get to the platform. *sigh* But I've gotten pretty relaxed when it comes to the water and dirt she finds and immerses herself in when playing outside. Maybe it's having a second child, or maybe it's because it gets pretty annoying trying to control a two year old and how much dirt/water they get on themselves. In any event, when it's a specific play date or play area, I've stopped micromanaging her play. Thomas will be proud. As he says constantly, "She's two."

After coming home and changing diapers, we went back outside to spend a few more hours out there. I didn't bother trying to give her a nap today, since she's only taken one nap in over a week. She did get some relaxed time watching Toy Story 3 in the car on the way home (it took us about 45 minutes each way). And as I'm typing this, she's watching the Baby Einstein move about water. It's a perfect lure to get her inside since it's only a half hour so after that she plays inside. There's nothing that makes me feel worse than letting her watch a whole movie after she just spent 45 minutes in the car watching one. If I can help it I try to limit her TV time to a program in the morning while I'm getting ready for the day, and then one in the afternoon. Then again, I'm not perfect and have been known to use a movie/program to aid me in accomplishing tasks better done with out little hands to 'help out'.