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A Snowy Day Trip to the World of Madeline

You guys, really, this snow! We have had more snow this past month than has ever been recorded in the history books...and this is Boston so you know we know history! There is just SO much snow and no longer anywhere to put it. It really is absurd, and I hope that someday summer really comes so I can think back to it from a warm spot in the sand and laugh. Really, I just hope summer comes...

Of course, the more snow the less we get out, which is the pits. One energetic toddler and one restless, preggo mama plus four feet of snow is just a terrible equation. So, instead of letting the snow beat us down on Sunday, we decided to brave it all and take a trip out to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art to see a special Madeline exhibit that is ending soon: Madeline at 75: The Art of Ludwig Bemelmans

I had read about the exhibit when it was in NYC over the summer and was going to try and see it there, but once I found out it would also be in MA, I decided I could wait and save the trip coordination. Little did I know that this winter was going to be a snowapocalypse, especially when I put it in our calendar for the second to last weekend it would be running. However, never to back down from a challenge, my husband the amazing shoveling machine got us out and on the road just in time for Maddie to have a road PB and J for lunch.  The roads were nice and clear, snow and traffic wise, and aside from the side roads we had to take from the turnpike to the museum, it was totally uneventful. Mostly because we saw a YAK farm. Yep, awesome things are going on in Western Mass and I saw my first yak because of it.

The museum was open (which I started panicking about at exactly .03 miles go to) and there was hardly anyone there, so we had the run of the place! The exhibit was amazing; so many great paintings of all different sizes from the Madeline books as well as early comics and other sketches by Ludwig Bemelmans. My Madeleine has been very into drawing all the time so she brought a sketchpad around the museum and did some drawing as she felt inspired to do, Since it was so empty, the museum staff also let us know right before a storytime was happening in their library, so we got to hear one the the 2015 Caldecott winners, The Adventures of Beekle (so cute!) along with another new book called The Hug Machine (which very much reminded me of a certain toddler). After storytime we checked out the regular exhibit of Eric Carle's art and then made our way to the studio where Maddie made her own book, which is about circles and colors and is likely coming to a future Caldecott listing.

On our way out we hit the gift shop and I managed to spend less than what was in our bank account (it helps that we own every Madeline book already and I have forbidden myself to buy anymore tote bags!). We always let Maddie pick out one souvenir and she went for the most awesome thing: a Madeline shadow puppet set! Definitely a perfect new addition to our snowed in arsenal back at home and something I am sure we will get a lot of use out of as we read the books together with the new baby.

We stopped for sandwiches and apple cider donuts at a market near the museum and made our way back into Boston just as the snow started to dump down again but got home before driving became scary. All in all a total win and well worth the long drive just to be out of the house! I would have been super disappointed if we didn't get to catch the exhibit while it was running, so I am extremely thankful that the rest of my gang was into a little adventure too.

The exhibit, Madeline at 75: The Art of Ludwig Bemelmans runs until February 22nd if you have a free day to get out there, we totally recommend it!

This is my new favorite picture of these two. 
Her love of books makes my mama heart so happy.
I want all the art we saw for her room!
Working on her book in the studio.
My little artist. 

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