Things To Do With A Thousand Dollars

An oldie from a trip to the Smithsonian. 

As someone who regularly watches Project Runway with her children, and someone who brought those same children to the bar area at Houlihan's a few weekends ago just so she could watch a Chiefs game, I probably shouldn't judge other parents about their family's recreational choices.

And yet.

Not that long ago, I got into a conversation with someone who also lives in our pricey area on a not very big budget. (For my local readers, this person does not live in town and we're not friends on Facebook, so you don't know her. Promise.) I was lamenting that we don't get to do half as much as I'd like, family-activity-wise, because of the sheer cost of museum memberships, getting into the city and whatnot.

I mean, should our budget ever get bigger, it will probably all go toward seeing more Broadway shows, going to more museums, spending more time at the Bronx Zoo and visiting Books of Wonder on a regular basis. This may be why our budget never seems to get bigger.

Anyway. The person I was talking to, after mentioning how they'd probably spent over $1000 at Six Flags over the summer (!!), had never taken her kids to the city for anything other than a few dinners. So I said, "Oh? Do you prefer to stay in Jersey and go to Liberty Science Center and stuff out here?"

The truth is, while very few places can beat New York City for historical, cultural and artistic attractions, we do have some cool stuff right here in Jersey. Just as I was chiding myself for being all snotty about my home state, though, my conversation partner confessed that she'd never felt like she could afford anything out here either.

Which I would totally get, except that she'd just confessed to dropping over $1000 on three trips to Six Flags over the summer.

And I also get that not every family's idea of a fun time is traipsing through a natural history museum - my kids will probably not see an opera until they can pay for their own tickets, for example - there is a magazine entirely devoted to things to do in New York City, for God's sake.

They could have skipped just one of their Six Flags trips and gone to the Bronx Zoo AND Liberty Science Center, you know. Like, if you only want to visit Six Flags for your recreation, why live so close to NYC and pay our exorbitant tax rate and deal with the damn crowds all the time? Of course, I think you can find great museums and sites in most parts of the country, but somehow it seems worse willfully ignoring all the things to do here.

I know I'm being horrible and judge-y, but I can't help it.

The Latest Addition

Rather than answer you all through the comments, I'd thought I'd write another post. But first, thank you so much for your warm wishes and congratulations. I really appreciate them, especially since I'm still in shock.

Yes, this will be #3.

And no, we weren't trying. You could even say that we were actively NOT trying. But apparently we are very, very fertile.

We had left open the possibility of having a third someday down the road, when we were more financially stable. I guess "down the road" is relative, because it feels like we've only gone about a block. And honestly, we really didn't think we'd get to a point where we felt comfortable having another child. I guess it's a good thing we've got 35 weeks (or so) to get used to it.

Of course we will love NewBaby and of course s/he will have clothes and such. But once again I'll be scouring Craigslist and garage sales for baby stuff (having sold and given most of ours away already) instead of my imagined shopping sprees at BuyBuyBaby. And that's okay. I know NewBaby won't care.

To be honest, I'm pretty much swinging between excitement, fear (I won't have enough hands! We don't have enough money!) and nausea. I guess that's normal, right?