Aside from tomorrow's St. Pat's activities (10K in the a.m., parade in the p.m.), it looks like it's going to be another "inside" weekend with the kids! Oi vey ... wasn't it just yesterday (er, Wednesday) I was all excited about the signs of spring popping up all over Erie? Now, it's snowing again.

Ah...such is life in the Lake Erie region.

Keep your chin up though becasue -- the good news is -- the snow can't last forever -- it's days are numbered now AND there's plenty of fun indoors stuff to do around Erie with the kids.

I just discovered a new one recently and I'll share it with you at the risk of scooping myself! Our Adventure Writer, Amanda Burlingham, and her friends went to the Beade Shoppe in Village West (read all about it in our April 15 issue!) and turns out -- kids are more than welcome at the Bead Shoppe. They even have classes geared toward kids. The Bead Shoppe used to be in Edinboro, but moved to Village West last year and are open 7-days a week. Check out their Web site at: http://www.edinborobeads.com/. I'm planning to take my daughters there sometime this weekend.

OK, so you have a boy who's not interested in Beads or Jewelry Making? Here are some other fun things we've been doing to wile away the winter weekends:

* Claytopia -- the paint-your-own-pottery place near Yorktowne Giant Eagle is a blast and kids love it. They have lots of cool stuff to paint -- even for boys (trucks, dinosaurs, etc.). Cost: I'll be honest, this can be pricey -- there's little you can paint for under $10 and you pay $4.50 per hour, per kid to paint.

* Matinees. Cinemark's "dollar" theatre usually has at least one good "kid" movie playing. There are two there now -- Happy Feet & Charlotte's Web. We've seen both -- if you have to choose one, opt for Charlotte's Web. Cost: cheap, cheap, cheap (even cheaper on Tuesdays!).

* Roller skating. Harborcreek's Skateway has a Saturday morning session from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. There's a rink on the westside, too. Cost: About $5 per person (or less).

* Bowling. We've been bowling several times this winter. It's always a blast and -- with kids -- one game is sufficient (they tire easily and well, it takes a looooong time for the balls to roll down the alley!), so it's cost effective. Cost: About $5 per person, per game. More for shoe rental.

* Swimming at the YMCA - different branches have different open-swim times, but almost all of them are wide open in the afternoons. Cost: Free for members. Far too expensive for non-members (Oh, it's ridiculous -- they force you to buy a week membership for something like $45).

* Chuck E. Cheese. I don't care much for this place -- it's boring for parents and I wouldn't eat the high-fat foods there, but for $10 my kids can run around riding mechanical toys for an hour and that's well worth my $10 on some yucky days. Cost: Depends on how many tokens you buy and if you want to eat there.

* Indoor Play Areas at the fast food restaurants. I don't eat fast food, but I'm more than willing to let my kids take advantage of the indoor play areas at these places. Two of the best -- McDonald's on Peach Street (near Wal-Mart) -- and the Broad Street Burger King (near another Wal-Mart). Cost: Free, free, free. Though I often feel guilty and buy a coffee and some ice cream cones or drinks for the kids.

FINALLY...this isn't indoors, but...it is still fun:
* Winter walking/hiking/biking at Presque Isle. Bundle the kids up and let them loose on the beach. Be sure to have them wear waterproof boots so they can splash around in the puddles at the shore (supervised by you, of course), just remember to stay off the sand dunes. They really are extremely dangerous (especially after our thaw earlier this week).