Hello and Happy New Year!

What a way to start it off!  I can’t tell you how excited I am to be launching this new website and writing my first blog post!!!  My name is Nicole Landphair Opfer and I created dsm4kids to help Des Moines area kids and families have fun!

I am a native Iowan that moved away from Des Moines in 1997, as a young single lady, and returned in 2011, as a married mother of two.  In that time, I grew and changed and so did Des Moines.  And I must say, I think we’ve both aged well!  The Opfers are an active family and we try to take advantage of what our hometown has to offer by trying new restaurants, keeping up with cultural happenings and planning fun weekend adventures.

When planning these excursions, I quickly discovered that Des Moines was in need of a “Kid’s Guide”.  I could find bits and pieces of information on the web, and of course asked neighbors and friends for suggestions, but there was no one “go to” resource to find information on childcare, activities and services geared towards kids and families.  So, as I started to compile information, I thought, “Why not share it?”

Anybody that lives in Des Moines knows that it is a great place to be a kid and raise kids.  Heck we’ve even won awards and received accolades confirming what we already knew.  The main focus of this website and blog is to become a digital city guide and community for kids and their parents. I am going to do my best to scour the city and share my picks for things to see, eat and do with your kids.

I’m also going to try my best to organize that information in an easy-to-skim format, so you can spend less time in front of a screen and more time on things that really matter – like hitting the trails on your bike or catching the latest show at the Playhouse. And I really truly hope you will share your suggestions too!

There will be several opportunities to provide feedback and input on the website.  Please leave comments, submit story ideas and photos, submit kid quotes and jokes and complete a weekly parent poll.  You will also be able to find us on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.  Hopefully, together we can help every parent, solve the problem of, “What should I do with my kids today?”

Before I sign off, I will warn you, I am prone to quoting 80s movies and songs and love to recite a Broadway lyric or two…I ask your forgiveness in advance!?!

So, Don’t Just Stand There, Bust a Move….Get Out, Have Fun and Play!

Sincerely,

Nicole

If you’re looking for things to do with your kids in Des Moines please visit our Events Calendar and Business Directory.

I’d also love to hear from you!  Please Submit Events that you know that are happening for families in Des Moines and if you have business in Des Moines, I’d love it if you’d submit a FREE Business Listing.

Last, but not least, please sign-up for our weekly newsletter.  We’ll deliver our top weekend picks right to your inbox every Thursday morning.