Don't forget to go sledding before it all melts!

As you might have expected, it’s pretty quiet this weekend. I don’t know about all of you, but our vacation week has flown by. I’m feeling a bit sad that it’s time to hunker down into the routine for the long, dreary stretch of January-February-March. It’s my least-favorite time of year. My kids are already lobbying to stay up until midnight. I offered to show them a Youtube of the ball dropping last year so that they’d realize what an anti-climax it is.  I mean, seriously. Do you let your kids stay up, or wake them up to see the ball drop? Even when we go to parties, we’re still usually in bed by 11 pm, tops.

Anyway, here’s what I’ve found:

All Weekend:

• There’s a Rock, Rattle & Drum New Year’s Eve Pow Wow at the Crowne Plaza in Albany. Tickets are $10/adult, $5/kids 11-17, and kids under 10 free. If anyone has gone to this before (or goes early in the weekend), I’d love to hear a report.

Afternoon and Evening of Friday, December 31st:

• There’s a New Year’s Celebration for kids ages 3 and up from 12:30-3:30 pm at the East Greenbush Library.
• From 12:30 to 2 pm, the Schenectady Museum will have a different free science activity each day of winter break. Today’s is Ketchup Bottle Rockets.
• There’s a free movie day at Albany Pine Bush at 1 pm. It’s Walking with Prehistoric Beasts.
• At 2 pm, the Wood Theater in Glens Falls is presenting Laura Roth’s Family New Year’s Eve, which is designed for “those people 8-100 who want their New Year’s entertainment early.” Tickets are $20. There’s also a similar show at 8 pm.
• First Night Saratoga begins at 5:30 pm. Don’t forget to visit the Children’s Museum.
• There’s NO Troy Night Out tonight.

Saturday, January 1st:

• At 9 am, it’s the Annual Bird Count at Five Rivers.
• Kids can do a Holiday Bird Count at Albany Pine Bush at 10 am. $3/person, $5/family.

Sunday, January 2nd:

• The Schenectady Museum has a Kids’ Amateur Radio Day from 11 am to 4 pm, a Nanotechnology Program for older kids at noon, and the model trains are still out.
• At 1:30 pm, Motoko Dworkin will be telling Japanese Folk Tales at the Sand Lake Center for the Arts. It’s $5/person and you should reserve ahead of time.