Art&Seek Jr. is one mom‘s quest to find activities to end the seemingly endless chorus of the “I’m Bored Blues” while having fun herself.  Impossible you say? Check back on Tuesdays for kid-friendly events that are fun for adults, too.

By now most of the “must have” Christmas presents the kids couldn’t live without have (a) been broken, (b) played with until they’re nearly broken, or (c) deemed, “not that fun” and discarded to the back of the closet.  There’s also (d) returned, which was the fate of Rose’s Flutterbye Flying Fairy doll. In the commercial for Flutterbye, she gracefully hovers above your hand and then magically twirls through the air. Sadly that’s not the way it went in our house Christmas morning. Our Flutterbye Fairy didn’t happily flitter on my child’s hand, but instead flew off wildly like a crazed kamikaze pilot before crashing into the Christmas tree. The second try didn’t go any better. Even the cat ran for cover as Flutterbye careened through the air, hit a wall and then sputtered and flopped about on the floor like a giant sparkly locust. I convinced Rose that Santa clearly had an elf that was sleeping on the job, and he wouldn’t care if we took the (psycho) flying fairy to Target and got another toy. Santa and Target have a mutual trade agreement, you know.

As bad as she was, Flutterbye reminded me that it’s not the toys that make a great Christmas, it’s the memories. Flutterbye gave us those in spades. Here’s the Junior’s weekly list of memory-makers–no batteries required.

Come make something at the new Renzo Piano Pavilion. (photo: Kimbell Art Museum)

Speaking of memories, with a career that spanned four decades, Michael Jackson’s music seems to be part of everyone’s childhood. If ever there was an artist who appealed to multiple generations, MJ was the one. Michael’s been gone for nearly 5 years, but you and the kiddos can enjoy the funk and fun of the gloved one at the Who’s Bad- The Ultimate Michael Jackson Tribute Concert  this Friday night at the House of Blues. The Who’s Bad live performance includes everything from “ABC” to “Beat It” so even if you’re a fan of cute little Michael from the Jackson 5, you won’t be disappointed.

Lovers of music, movies and Disney won’t want to miss Pixar in Concert at the Morton Meyerson this Saturday. The Dallas Symphony Orchestra will perform memorable scores from favorite Disney/Pixar movies choreographed with clips from the films. Also, there will be a costume contest, so be sure to come dressed as your favorite Pixar character.

The Kimbell Art Museum is making it easy for you to check out the new Renzo Piano Pavilion and spend time with Junior at their Family Celebration this weekend. There will be  art-making activities, guided gallery tours, artist demonstrations, and live performances by local music and dance groups. You and the tinies can enjoy it all at the spanking-new education studios in the Renzo Piano Pavilion.

Christmas is over and the Sugar Plum fairy has gone into mothballs for another year, but that doesn’t mean you have to wait to see a storybook ballet. If you’ve got a little Flutterbye who loved the Nutcracker, be sure to check out Plano Metropolitan Ballet’s original production of Rapunzel. You have two more weekends to catch the fantasy ballet at Plano’s Courtyard Theater. Better hurry though, shows are selling out fast.

Class clowns, budding magicians and “Knock-Knock” joke enthusiasts are going to want to catch the Comedy and Magic Show at the Addison Improv. This family-friendly show features two magicians who mix laughs with hocus pocus. The doors open an hour before this Sunday afternoon show so you can enjoy lunch beforehand.

Therese Powell is an Art&Seek calendar coordinator and KERA-TV producer.  She spends most of her free time seeking out adventures for her 8-year-old daughter, Rose.  Tell us about your quirky kid adventures by leaving a comment. Or e-mail Therese at [email protected].