My Mommy's Guide to a Semi-Free Day at the Mall

Ahh, we all know there are those days when you don't know what to do and your kid is itching to get out. You don't want to spend a lot of money and you don't want to go to a petting zoo, play place or any other of your usual haunts!

Well, here is my guide to an afternoon at the Roosevelt Field Mall (it is very likely that you will be able to find the exact same things to entertain your child at the mall by your town, so don't worry if this mall isn't exactly the closest one for you).

For less than $20, you can spend a whole afternoon with your child fully occupied, and give yourself some much-needed window shopping (remember it is only less than $20 if you are able to control yourself from buying all the wonderful goodies the mall holds).

My recommendation, if you are going to do a mall day, try for a Tuesday. At 11 a.m., Pottery Barn kids has a very nice story time, which will be a great way to start the day off!

Then I suggest you eat lunch (to keep to the budget, a packed lunch is best). The food court shouldn't be very busy at this time and you should be able to plant yourself next to the coin fed carousel. Perfect. Tell your kids to eat first then put a $5 bill in the carousel and let them go wild, while you, my friend, put your feet up and relax.

Ride over? All set to go? Okay, head downstairs via the elevator (one of the many you will be taking today, which is one of the reasons why the mall is super cool. Next stop is the Disney Store.

Now if your kids are old enough to "warn," make sure you tell them we are not buying anything today, just hanging out -- which is cool because they have a large screen TV that has a touch screen selection that the kids can use to pick out their favorite clips of their favorite Disney movies. Last time we went they had a great selection of Muppet's videos that were a lot of fun.

Before you settle yourself down, make sure to ask a "cast" member if they have any crayons and coloring sheets available for the kids (they usually do, and they are free). This is good for an hour, no joke. Let the kids run around, dance to the music, get hypnotized by the largeness of their favorite cartoons and play with the other kiddies that pop in.

All done? Make sure you pass by William Sonoma to see if they have any samples on the counter before you head over to Godiva. You can also check out the Williams Sonoma website before hand since they sometimes have a child's activity as well.

When you get to Godiva you want to join the rewards club which entitles you to one piece of chocolate for free every month. To buy yourself and the rest of your kiddies (if you have more than one), you only have to spend 75 cents per piece, bringing total money spent to approximately $7. Nice right?

Across the way is Tevania, which has a canister of free tea for you guys to sample, so enjoy the samples and pretend to be critics (Ah, yes, this one has hints of strawberry, while this one has ...).

Are you guys still going? Oay, head over to the JCPenny side of the mall. Sometimes they have rides placed in this area, a train or these weird stuffed animal things that you can ride on. If there is nothing, do not fret!

To the left, right by the Zales and the kiosks, there is this light that shines on the floor. This is a motioned censored game. The kids can go on there and stomp the ants, kick a hockey puck, splash with koi fish and more. It is actually very cool. It's been there for years at no cost, you just have to see an advertisement every once in a while and the kids naturally love it.

By now you guys must be tired? No? Okay, Okay. One last thing: the elevator. It is super cool. Plant yourselves in one and go up and down, up and down until you can literally not take going up and down any longer. Pretend to be explorers, deep sea divers or just people that like to go up and down the elevator. Either way, you'll have fun.

Well, now it is time to go home, which is fine, because you have to have been there for two plus hours and spent, oh what? Less $20 -- well look at that! That is if you didn't slip into a "mommy" store and get some stuff for yourself, which hey, you want it? Go for it. Mommy deserves a treat too!

Until next week make sure to spend your time wisely!

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