Summer Fun With Kids: Fun with kids while pregnant.

I'm so Excited to Have Nicole from MamaNYC here today! Nicole is one part of the Awesomely smart duo behind BloggerPR and I have learned so much from her! I'm honored to have her guest posting for the Summer Fun with Kids Series.

One of my biggest fears has always been how well (or horribly) I would handle pregnancy and raising a child at the same time. My first pregnancy was a breeze compared to this one! I had no one else to chase, feed, bathe, and diapers were yet to be an issue in our family. Now that I am nearing the end of my 1st trimester, I am starting to feel the exhaustion and pains, which means that I will be less and less available and mobile for my son.

I don't want to become a lazy mom for the next few months and rely on our television for babysitting. I am always trying to find new ways to have fun with my son, but this has become a challenge lately. Our local amusement parks are out of the question since rollercoasters and flipping fast rides can result in a miscarriage. I don't think horseback riding, jet skiing, or hitting the basketball courts is a great idea right now.
I have put together a list of several summertime pregnancy safe activities for women that are already caring for young children! These are activities that you probably enjoy when you aren't pregnant, but they are good to keep in mind for a semi-relaxing, fun, memorable, and exciting summer for your entire family!

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[1] Backyard Treasure Hunt: This is a great activity any time of the year, but I have found it to be a great pastime while pregnant in the warmer months. Depending on your child(rens) ages, I would begin by preparing a list of treasures that can be found in your yard. Try to keep the list simple enough by thinking about objects that are actually there! If you know there aren't any acorns in your yard, I would leave that off! Items such as rocks, leaves (red, green, yellow?!), flowers, or soccer balls are great ideas!
This activity will get mom moving around (healthy exercise off the couch!), but not too much that she starts to feel the pains. It is also a leisurely hunt that will allow mom to take a seat if necessary, but the kids can keep moving and finding their required items. I have also created treasure hunt lists that turn into a craft once we are done! There is so much you can do with this idea, or maybe you can move this activity to your local park if mom is up for a lunchtime picnic and treasure hunt fun!
[2] Visit a local Zoo & Aquarium: Consider a fun and memorable day trip into your schedule if your city has a zoo or aquarium that isn't going to incorporate too much walking. My son is a huge fan of the New York Aquarium and the entire New York City Zoo system, so I try to take a trip at least once per week! One of our local zoo's takes approximately 1-hour from start to finish, which is great exercise for mom and always a fun time for the kids!
[3] Start a Summer Scrapbook: This has been especially fun for my son since this is his last summer as an only child. He is soaking in all of the attention, but we are also discussing a lot of our plans and ideas for Baby #2. My son is talking about how much fun we will have with his brother or sister at the pool next summer! Will his sibling love the sandbox as much as he does?

We started by putting together some pictures and writing words onto construction paper. Eventually, I discovered that we were actually making a scrapbook! I started punching holes into each page and slipped them into a binder, which we are slowly decorating and designing.
Using our idea to create a memorable scrapbook filled with "Dear Baby" thoughts and memories of your summer will turn into an awesome keepsake for all of your children! My son likes referring to the scrapbook as "the book that will tell baby all about what we did when he/she was sleeping so much in your belly". I cannot wait to watch the two of them laugh about it in the future!
* Want more?! Check out MamaNYC's list of 101 family fun summer activities for everyone to enjoy (pregnant or not!)

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Nicole @ MamaNYC: Nicole is a stay-at-home New York City mom blogger living on the outskirts of Manhattan with her husband and their 3-year-old son. They are expecting a second child in January 2013 and cannot wait to welcome Baby #2 into their home! She is also a Graduate student pursuing an MBA, Internet marketing consultant, web and logo designer, and an awesome mom! She loves blogging, anything related to the Internet, and a huge tech gadget geek!