Christmas is coming and guys, I'm going to come out and say it. I get stressed out about the gift situation that comes along with Christmas. Don't get me wrong, i LOVE the idea of giving the people you care about thoughtful gifts that show how much you love them, but GUYS!! with you're a mom you end up accumulating ALL THE THINGS. seriously i feel like I am in a constant state of throwing away junk, and the idea of a holiday designated towards adding more just doesn't sound fun.
But then there's the rub. What do you do when you want to participate in gift exchanges, and show your friends and family you love them, but don't want to add more toys to your noise or theirs?
I recommend (drum roll...) EXPERIENCES! Give the first of fun and memories without all the actual clutter!
I went ahead and put together a list of local business and attractions that have either one time admissions fees (or if you want to be real generous, annual memberships) for all members of the family!
*Disclaimer. this post is NOT IN ANY WAY meant to be suggestions for you to give me gifts...i mean, unless you really want to ;-)
OK. here is my round-up.
Gift Ideas for the mom who already has all the things.
Global Wildlife Center A mini safari in our own back yard! a great family friendly day event.
Uptown Climbing BATON ROUGE FINALLY HAS A CLIMBING GYM!
Barn Hill Preserve It's an education animal encounter and from what i hear there are all the cute things like sloths and wallabys. it's more up and personal and educational than the zoo.
Painting and pinot I just did this with some friends and it makes for a super fun evening! you basically follow a art teacher to walks you through step by step how to paint. the art isn't very moving (lets be honest) but the experience great.
Java Mama A coffee shop for moms! so forget the starbucks and give your mom friends gift cards to this place where they can work, hang, and let the kiddos play
Quarters This is an arcade with all the usual things, but it can make for a fun family day or fun date night!
Celebration Station This is also an arcade, but it also has mini golf so....
BR Zoo OK, it's not the most exciting zoo in the world.. or country.. or state, but if you get an annual membership it makes for some fun afternoons without feeling like your wasting monies.
Escape Rooms. These escape rooms are so fun and challenging. there are several different ones to choose from, but if you're doing it for the first time i recommend starting with agent 13.
Paddleboarding Rent a board and go hang out for a Saturday on the LSU lake.
Water Park Blue Bayou MAY feel like it hasn't had any upkeep for the last few years, but during the summer it can still be a fun way to spend the day. and if you get an annual membership you can swing in for an hour or two and not feel like you have to spend all day - especially since there isn't much shade
Kayaking In st. francville you can sent kayaks, grab a picnic and go explore and mississippi and bayou sara
WWII Museum I haven't been here yet, but it's highly rated and I have heard really good things. it's just hard sometimes being a tourist in my own backyard sometimes.
New Orleans Aquarium Word on the street is there are even times that real live mermaids show up ;-)
Movie Passes. Guys. going to the movies is fun, but with kids it ends up being so expensive to go very often - So this is a great gift idea. plus at the perkins rowe theatre it is $5 tuesdays, so a giftcard could stretch pretty far
FITNESS CLASSES! Barre, Yoga, Crossfit, Spin, Monthly membership to a new gym.
SUBSCRIPTIONS: Some subscriptions are super awesome and helpful. like those amazing food in a box that makes you feel like a chef but only takes 10 minutes? ( Blue Apron Hello Fresh ) or super yummy microwaveable meals Freshly (you are literally giving TIME with these) or if you want to get all exotic you could get someone Try the world. a food box with each month themed to a different country.
Or there are cool subscriptions for kids and learning like Kiwi Crate and the online classes and JAM are amazing. so many different fun classes for your kids to try out!
OK so I feel like I could keep going for a while. But these are just a few ideas to get the wheels turning on how to give people different and thoughtful gifts that won't add "stuff" to already cluttered homes and lives.
Do you have any other ideas for Baton Rouge activities? or what are your favorite subscriptions? Lemme know in the comments!
*This post was inspired by THIS BLOG POST but i wanted to make one specific to Baton Rouge.