How many days until school starts again? Twenty-six? Thirty-one? Four weeks, three days, two hours, 46 seconds? Vacations may sound fun but very few parents won’t be giving a sigh of relief when school starts up again next month.
Although it’s been many years since my own children were young, I still remember the pain. The first few play dates were great, going on holiday was fun, but after a few weeks there was only so much glitter I could get out of the carpet.
Have you noticed how quickly the school day goes when you are trying to fit in grocery shopping, cooking, laundry and day time soaps? Strange how things move into slow motion once your children have declared, “I’m bored,” and asked, “What are we going to do today?” a hundred times before breakfast.
The weather is never helpful either. It’s either too hot or too wet to do anything you may have planned in advance. Young moms need to have the combined skills of an army general and the entertainment director of a cruise ship if they are to successfully navigate the endless summer vacation.
Of course, things may be a little better here in Naperville. From what I gather, at this point in the school break the average 6-year-old will have learned to swim the backstroke blindfolded, starred in their own play and catered a small wedding single handed. Many of your children may still be at camp. I tried this with my son once. It wasn’t a great success because the cub scout leader called us at 10 p.m. on the first night because he was crying to come home. The irony that he became a counselor with Camp America when he was older wasn’t lost on me.
The internet can be an excellent resource when looking for child friendly things to do if your child will stop playing games on your computer long enough to let you take a look. The problem is there are so many websites to look through it can make the search tricky. The good news is one Naperville woman has her own website that provides a one-stop shop for local families.
Macaroni Kids is a national online publication run largely by young moms who want to help others just like themselves. There are more than 500 publications around the U.S. and Canada. Here in Naperville our branch is run by Mary Anne Plauda, who has a different story to tell.
Although she’s mom to a lively 9-year-old girl, Mary Anne is actually her grandmother. She adopted Nevaeh (Heaven spelt backwards) when she was 5 years old following family problems. The granddaughter of her late husband, who died two years ago, the couple had fostered Nevaeh from when she was 11 months old.
“I went from being nana to mom,” Mary Anne said. “When the judge asked her if she wanted to be adopted she said, “Yes, I do,” very clearly. It was so adorable. I never thought I would be doing this at this time of my life,” said the 61-year-old who has lived in Naperville for 23 years. “It all happened because of this little girl.”
Mary Anne admits it was hard taking care of a baby again when she was in her 50s and her husband was 20 years older. She had spent 15 years working as a human resources director before enjoying retirement with her husband as they traveled together when he had to travel abroad on business.
“Once Nevaeh came to live with us I was desperate to find things to do with her,” Mary Anne said. “I was thoroughly exhausted. I have two other sons but the youngest is 39! That’s when I found Macaroni Kids. When the local publisher left, I jumped on the idea of running it myself. I’d missed work a lot and I love it.”
In addition to being mom to Nevaeh , Mary Anne also has six grandchildren.
Mary Anne spends about 20 hours a week making sure her website is current. She also compiles a free weekly newsletter that has 3,000 Naperville subscribers. She says the hardest part is keeping on top of the hundreds of events and opportunities for families in and around the city.
“I couldn’t have found a better job. The community of women I work with are so giving,” she said.
Nevaeh also enjoys helping mom out, either by packing up promotional materials or attending events with her.
“She’s so excited by it,” Mary Anne said. “I can work around her school schedule and work from home. It gives me something to do while giving me back the missing piece of my life.”
Macaroni Kids also produces regular guides for parents, showcasing everything from summer camps to Christmas.
“Our biggest guide is for Halloween,” Mary Anne said. “The largest number of people search online for that. Naperville women love it because it saves them so much time.”
A keen crafter, Mary Anne enjoys designing her newsletter.
“When I worked in HR I couldn’t really see an end product, but with this I can see what I have accomplished at the end of the day,” she said.
More Top Picks Best Mattress Cooling Pads Under 1000 Dollars
Although Mary Anne admits to being the oldest mom in the school yard, she’s relishing her role.
“The other moms at the school are very nice. Recently I was room mother,” she said. “I enjoy volunteering there. I’m getting to do things now I didn’t do with my own children because I was working full time.”
If you’re still looking for ways to have fun without breaking the bank in what’s left of the holidays, Mary Anne has the following recommendations:
Brookfield Zoo in Brookfield (free for members)
Cantigny Park in Wheaton ($5 per car on weekdays, $10 on weekends, free concerts),
Naperville Riverwalk Carillon concerts (free),
Children’s Lunch Hour Entertainment (free),
Naperville Park District Concerts in Your Park (free),
Thursday Family Nights at Morton Arboretum in Lisle (free members/$5 nonmembers),
Naper Settlement Naper Nights ($15 adults, $10 for ages 4-12, free for members and children under age 4),
Storytime on the Riverwalk (free),
Daytime Summer Movie Series ($1),
Movies Under the Stars (free, parking fee),
Summer Reading Program (free).