Big Day in a Small Town

My husband and I are very fortunate to be raising our chidren in a modern day town with an old town feel.  We live less a mile from the town square. And our town square rocks! It was my New Year's resolution to shop locally and supporting our town square has been a big part of upholding that resolution.

Today was a beautiful, sunny day! The temperature was only a high of 32, but the sun was shining, my kids were all feeling good, and I was in a great mood.  I picked the kids up from PSR and off we went to explore our square. With checklist in hand, it was our mission to see how many things we could see, do, and buy all in "our square".  We started at the pottery place. You know the kind: it costs $10 to paint a small keepsake, 50% more for the studio fee + tax, but the memories are priceless.  Each of my kids painted an Easter egg that matches their style and then together we painted the basket they'll be displayed in. I can't wait to have the annual reminder of our fun day as I decorate the house each spring! We checked off our list and went to next stop; a little antique store owned and operated by multiple sellers.  There we purchased a bunny.  Guess we were feeling the Easter spirit! Check. Lunch followed at what my husband calls "a greasy spoon."  I'm not one to frequent these types of places, but the kids and him go there before school on occasion and they love it. Since this was their day, I agreed to go.  I must admit, the food was pretty good. You can't beat the price either! And it all stays local.  Our next stop was a little old-time toy and train museum, but it was closed.  Sadly, we could not check that off our list.  My son decided we should put an "X" next to it instead because that would symbolize we didn't get to go.  Off we went to what was the much anticipated stop of the day: the toy store!! This is run by an older gentleman named Ken.  Ken loves kids. Plain and simple. If you're familiar with Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium you know Ken.  Each time we go in, Ken spends time playing with the kids, introducing them to his newest toys, and making them believe in the magic that is youth. We love Ken! And Ken loves us because we always walk out spending a fortune; which is why it's a special occasion when we go. Check.  Finally, our last stop of the day, a new frozen yogurt store.  I think I was the most impressed.  It was self serve and had every kind of topping you could imagine!

The day was one that will be stored in my memory forever.  There were many other places we wanted to explore but everyone was getting a bit too tired and I didn't want the "goodness" to dissolve into exhaustion.  We'll save the other stores for the next time we have a big day in our small town and hopefully Daddy will be able to join us.  :-)