IKEA

I do understand that counting a retail venue as a kid's outing is kind of weird. But I blame the stores. They keep doing neater and neater things to attract parents and it makes the store a fun place to be.

At IKEA, for example, the way they have all these little areas set up like living spaces makes it feel like playing house. And in their kids' area, they have samples of almost all of their kids' products to be tried out.

Sydney thought that all of the beds were super fun. She climbed, she bounced, she rolled, she pretended to sleep. Really, it's all the things she does in her own bed at home, but like so many things, it's more fun elsewhere.

An IKEA kids' tent. Perfect for crawling around in. She also played on the slide, the egg chair, the rocking horse (or was it a rocking moose) and the tunnel.

Given the number of children who play on each item and the number of times each item is used by the same child, carry the one, and you get some pretty tough kids' stuff.

You also get a fun outing on a rainy day.*


*For the record, I wanted to go to the zoo. But somehow the threat of thunder made Jeremy (and Sydney) want an indoor plan.