where's waldo

I've got to admit, summer is just a little more daunting each year.  

The kids are harder to please the older they get; everybody disagrees about the definition of fun; and even I found myself completely bored one day--I didn't want to clean, cook, read, or knit (something I've just recently learned to do.)

And because *free* is the code word for 'yes, we'll do it!'--I drove the kids downtown to Carytown to search for Waldo today.  Everybody loves Waldo, everybody loves a scavenger hunt, and Carytown is pretty novel to us...usually too expensive and too breakable to take the kids down there very often.  

Our favorite bookstore, bbgb Tales for Kids, has organized a real live search for an 6" cardboard Waldo with 23 stores in Carytown.

Let me warn you, This. Is. FUN!

Now we went on a cool day, first thing in the morning.  (Beware, some stores don't open until 11am.)

We did a LOT of walking and got to see the most interesting stores!  I found a million things I wanted to buy (I guess that's the point) while the kids competed to see who would find him first in each store.  The clerks were kind and cheerful, something I really hadn't expected when you trot four excited children into specialty shops.

Here are some links to my favorite shops we visited today:

ORANGE:  This store has prints, decor, pillows and cool things all made by local artists.  I found a pillow with a squid on it that would have been perfect for Diego.

CREME DE LA CREME:  Another store with cool random stuff.  Memorable to me were the dessert plates with beetles on them and beautiful bird sticky notes.

WORLD OF MIRTH:  Of course, the best toy store in Richmond.  We've known this for a long time and definitely want one of everything inside.

WALKABOUT OUTFITTER:  Waldo was really hard to find here, but that gave us a chance to look at all the cool camping and kayaking stuff.  I need to go back for the pop up solar lights.  They float on water.  Enough said.

FOR THE LOVE OF CHOCOLATE:  Willy Wonka was my favorite movie as a kid, and I finally got to be in it!  I have no idea how I made it out of there alive with four children.  I just knew Carmen was going to grab everything off the shelf, but my firm hand holding hers must have said enough.

LADLES and LINENS:  If you need a cool kitchen gadget, this is the place to go.  I might start liking cooking if I could shop here.  They had some cool pirate chopsticks for kids and lunch bags that would be fun for back to school.

MERRYMAKER FINE PAPER:  I even found something cool at the paper store...beautiful turtle and elephant garlands.  I need to go back for those.

Each of us ended up with a favorite store:  Joaquin chose World of Mirth, Diego chose For the Love of Chocolate, and Isabela chose Ladles and Linens.

Carmen can now spot Waldo a mile away, and we were happy to pick up this discounted travel book of Waldo to help us through the rest of our summer boredom...I mean summer trips.

BBGB is a great store to visit anytime, but if you're local and need to entertain the kids for a bit (two and half hours for us!) we recommend you put on some walking shoes and take the challenge to find Waldo in Carytown!