Thanksgiving Break

Please remember that there will be no playgroup this Friday, November 28.  The fun returns on Tuesday, December 2.  I hope that everyone has a happy Thanksgiving surrounded by family and friends.  

Sprucing Up Our Play Space

The Family Club has had an ongoing relationship with the North Shore Presbyterian Church in Shorewood for many years.  We are sincerely thankful to them for sharing their space with us for playgroups, classes, and special events.  With fresh, motivated church leadership in place, the play spaces have been receiving a gradual face life.  The changes started last year with a fresh coat of paint and ceiling repairs.  Over the summer, new curtains, chalkboard tables, and rugs were brought in, and the bathroom plumbing was updated.  Most recently, the walls have been decorated with new artwork and the coat closets have been cleaned out in anticipation of the onslaught of winter weather.  The playroom is a bright, inviting space that our families are grateful to be able to utilize.  Many thanks to the NSPC for their efforts to spruce up our play space!  

Holiday Festivities

It's here!  That crazy time of year when I want to believe that we still have lots of the fall left to enjoy, but I know that winter is really here.  There is no denying the snowflakes and frigid temperatures that have settled in to the Milwaukee area.  And I certainly can't deny the intense process of layering the kids up every time we leave the house...hats, mittens, coats, boots, and scarves, oh my!  That undeniable winter weather means that Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Hanukkah festivities are just around the corner.  I just don't feel like Thanksgiving is next week already.  It's only been a few weeks since we were playing at the pool, right?  You'd think my son's daily questioning about when Christmas will be here would be enough to make me snap to and prepare for this "most wonderful time of the year."  Alas, I may need a boost.  In case you don't have your own Christmas chatterbox, or you too need a shot of cheer, here are some upcoming activities guaranteed to help you start singing, "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas."  (Bonus: They're all $1 or less!)

• The Milwaukee Holiday Lights Festival Kick-Off - Thursday, November 20, Downtown - The fun starts at 4:45-5:30 p.m. with festivities and the official tree lighting outside City Hall.  The holiday spirit continues at 6 p.m. at Pere Marquette Park with live music, dancers, ice carving, and fireworks.   
• The Milwaukee Holiday Parade - Saturday, November 22, 9:30 a.m, Downtown - Santa, the UW Marching Band, balloons, floats, and more.  And bonus: Saturday is supposed to be the warmest day of the week!
• The Jingle Bus - Thursday-Sunday, November 20-December 28, 6-9 p.m. - For just $1/person, you can hop on the bus to enjoy a 40-minute narrated tour of the city's best downtown light displays.
• Cocoa With the Clauses - Saturday, December 13, 11-2 p.m. - Come to Cathedral Square Park to enjoy free cookies and hot chocolate, reindeer games, face painting, and a visit with Mr. and Mrs. Claus.   
• Leonard Bearstein Symphony Orchestra - November 14-January 1, hourly, Grand Ave Mall - The kids will be mesmerized by the bears' holiday musical performance.
• BMO Harris Bank Holiday Display - December 1-January 5, BMO Harris Bank downtown - Stop by the bank lobby for a classic Milwaukee experience - the 150-Steiff animal animated display.  This year's theme is The Nutcracker.

Thanksgiving

Gobble, gobble.  On Tuesday, November 25, The Family Club will be hosting a Thanksgiving party during playgroup.  Before enjoying a pumpkin snack, the kids can lend their hand prints to create a special turkey art project that we will be bringing to the fire station and nursing home to show our appreciation.

Cleaning Day

It's cleaning day, it's cleaning day!  Friday, November 7 is our next cleaning day at playgroup.  Please make plans to join us as we all pitch in to make the playroom sparkle.  Even if little ones prevent you from giving 100% to the cleaning task, every little bit helps.  As an added bonus, you'll get to go home smelling like pickles after being up to your elbows in vinegar!  See you there...

December Book Club

The chosen selection for the next book club meeting is Orphan Train by Kristina Baker Kline.  In order to give everyone enough time to read the selection, the meeting has been delayed until Thursday, December 7 at 7:00 p.m. at Vanessa's house.  Please email with any questions.  Happy Reading!

Tunes For Tots

An exciting new Tunes For Tots class is beginning on Tuesday, November 11, and we want YOU to join us!  Tunes For Tots is 30 minutes of music fun for all ages with Lorin Shearburn, Family Club member and music teacher extraordinaire.  Children and their caregivers will enjoy singing along to some old favorites as well as learning some new, seasonally appropriate tunes.  Instruments and movement will enhance the music class experience.

The six-session class runs from 9:00-9:30 a.m. on Tuesdays until December 16 in the nursery at the North Shore Presbyterian Church in Shorewood.  The cost is $40 for Family Club members and $50 for non-Family Club members and includes one caregiver and two children.  If you have questions, please email us at info@thefamilyclub.org.