If adjusting to a new school year prevented you from signing up for activities for your child in the fall, many fresh new sessions are starting up in January.

I just signed my 5-year-old up for Let’s Begin music classes at the Music Studio. At a whopping $18/class, I’d usually dismiss this as way too expensive, but I have a gift certificate.  Our nursery school visited for a field trip:   I was one of the “helping parents” and they had a drawing for four free sessions.  No. . . I didn’t win.  But apparently, I looked so disappointed (because I love-love-love the free stuff) that the woman who did win remembered me when she decided that her family’s life was simply too busy and interesting already.  Pity gifts?  I love them!  Bring ‘em on!  Of course, they’re expecting that my daughter will adore them and I’ll convince myself that she’s prodigy who must. be. nurtured.  But I’ve played this game before, and I can walk away.  Well, check back with me in a month.

The music sign-up is particularly appropriate because Santa Claus brought us a fancy new keyboard!  I told my husband that I was certain that since we already own two toy keyboards and I was unaware of any piano skills or any piano lesson plans, it would be silly for the big man to provide us with such a gift.  And, yet–behold!  There it was, Christmas morning!  And the girls love it.  And we managed to wedge it into our living room.  And it turns out that my husband has more piano skills than he had led me to believe (he’s so dreamy. . .).  Now if only I could get everyone to stop playing that pre-programmed groovy Muzak, we’d be golden.

But meanwhile, we also started up another round of ice skating classes for the big girl.  I was a little bit sad to see that word seems to be spreading about these classes. . . with each new session there are more people.  But the teacher: pupil ratio ranges from pretty good to ridiculously fabulous (sometimes Madeleine’s “group” has been 2:1).

Both of my girls are doing another  Kidzart class, too.  Our class could use a few more kids, actually.  Both my girls love it, & the  location’s very close for me & the class is a good full hour, so I can even get in an errand or go home and exercise (yay).  The new session begins the third week of January, and  I think it’s 7  classes for $78.

So that’s some of what we’re doing, but many places are starting things now.  Two more:  Soccer Tots at Afrim’s has new classes starting this week, and Music Together classes start next week. And if you’re not up for it this year, or if you need to save money, you can make a note of what’s going on and put it on the Christmas list for next year so Grandma doesn’t drown your house in toys again.