Camp Mom 2010: Day 3

Today's Adventure: Greenbluff, Colbert, WA

What we learned:
I can't really pin point any serious learning but just being outside exploring, they're bound to pick something up.

What we did and saw:
We had planned on going to one place to pick raspberries but I couldn't find it so we just wandered around looking for a sign. When we got to the Harvest House I decided to pull in and ask if they were picking raspberries and they were. So we headed down with our bucket and got to picking. Even though it was only 10am when we got there, it was starting to get pretty hot. We didn't last very long and only got about 1 1/2 pounds of raspberries. Trying to keep the unpaid for raspberries out of Chloe's mouth was a whole other obstacle.

 Athena and I checking out the Harvest House Bathrooms.

Best bathrooms on the Bluff.

Shannon amongst the raspberry bushes

The kids enjoying their honey sticks

The Harvest House does not allow you to eat your own food at their picnic area so we had to leave in search of an picnic-friendly picnic area. This was harder than I thought it would be. We went to Trezze Barn to get one of their delicious prepared pesto lasagnas, which they don't give away, and they wouldn't let us use their picnic tables either.

I feel the need to pause right now for a rant. I think advertising a picnic area but then not allowing us to eat our picnic lunch there is a bit contrary to the spirit of picnicking. Purchasing a prepared meal and then eating it outside is just eating at a restaurant on the patio. When we sit on the patio at Rock City, I don't call it a picnic. To be fare, I believe there are other places that have areas where you can eat a packed lunch but many are not open during the week and I just think we didn't pass by the right places. Okay, on with our adventure.

We finally pulled into Walter's Fruit Ranch where they graciously allowed us to use their picnic area for our controversial picnic lunch. Now I wish I just would have gone there first and spent our berry money there. I just made sure we cleaned up very well. There was a whole group of older folks out to pick fruit and they seemed to really enjoy the kids so perhaps we gave back by adding to the ambiance.

 

And then we headed home to rest up for day 4.

Camp Mom 2010: Day 2

Today's Adventure: Manito Park, Spokane, WA


What we learned:
Plants come in many different shapes and sizes
Some plants have hilarious names
Not all roses look the same
Where the Upper Manito splash pad and park is
That honey bees have a very important job and if we leave them alone, they'll leave us alone

What we did and saw:
We started our day at the lower park playground. We got a later start because we wanted our friends, Laura and Roxanne, to come and Roxy had swim lessons in the morning. So we laid out the picnic lunch right away. But the kids were more interested in the playground equipment. Soon we packed up and headed to the gardens. We first explored the Rose Garden. They had a garden full of larger roses and then a garden beyond that with baby roses. The kids had fun trying to read the different names.

Then we headed to the Japanese Gardens. I always love coming here. I like it because it's really beautiful and it is enclosed so the kids can explore on their own. I threw down the rules (no running, stepping over the barriers, or touching the water) and then just set them free. But they didn't get too far before we heard "Mommy, come check this out!" So we just let the kids be our tour guides.

 Roxy and Shannon

Camp Counselor Mama and Camper Athena

 

Then we walked back through the rose gardens and on to the Sunken English Gardens. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of the entire garden from above. It is really awesome. But I did get some of the kids having fun.

The kids found a path beyond this garden and decided to take it to see what we would find. And we found the splash pad and playground. Laura took the kids up there while I went back and got the car with all of our water gear in it. The weather was being pretty weird all day. It kept threatening to rain but never quite got there. And the area with the splash pad was pretty windy. We were finally able to talk the kids into eating lunch but we didn't stay too long. We headed back to the car with the intention of heading home but Shannon started to get really upset because he had his heart set on seeing the Lilac Gardens. It was hard to resist the kid's desire to be one with nature so we drove back down and parked once again. And it turned out to be a lot of fun for us all. The kids got to see some bees hard at work and a lot of interesting looking plants. We haven't had time to do any further learning with this at home but I hope to get to some books on plants shortly.

On the way home, both Athena and Chloe passed out pretty quickly. All this time outside sure does encourage some good napping. And a couple of hours later, Laura and I went running because we just had not had enough excitement that day.

Day 3 to come.

Camp Mom 2010: Day 1

Today's adventure: Finch Arboretum, Spokane, WA

What we learned:
What the different parts of a tree are: trunk, branches, leaves, roots
The difference between deciduous and coniferous trees
There are a lot of different kinds of trees.
Chloe learned that peeing outside is much harder for girls than for boys

What we did and saw:

 I was not sure what the kids would think of hanging out in a park, without a slide and swings, all day. But we all had a great time and learned a lot. First we started out from the parking lot and headed into the arboretum. We didn't get too far before the kids wanted to stop and rest . . . and then play. This place was a gigantic playground for them. They had a blast hiding amongst the trees. Some groups of trees created these fantastic play structures. As we walked through the park, I would ask what kind of tree we were looking at and they would yell out: deciduous! or coniferous! After about an hour and half of exploring the different shapes, sizes, and leaves we headed back toward the front so the kids could use the bathroom and then we set up for lunch.

 My kids kept popping in and out of this tree so I went in for a closer look . . .

 . . . ah, so that's what they're doing in there.

On the menu: Egg salad sandwiches, watermelon, grapes, cheese, juice box, water

After lunch we got in the car and drove a little ways towards the back of the arboretum to a place I had never been: Corey Glen. This area was so beautiful.

We walked a little bit further because the kids wanted to see the crab apple trees that the map promised to be right up ahead. We were having a hard time locating the trees because the apples are still so small. When I was about to give up, Shannon found a sign under one of the trees and asked me to read it. He is so resourceful. And it was indeed a crab apple tree. And then we walked from tree to tree, reading all of the signs and learning that there are many, many varieties of crab apple trees.

 Shannon and a crab apple tree

When we got just past the crab apple trees, the kids climbed up on this giant rock and asked me to take a picture. When I asked if they were having fun they gave me a double thumbs up. 

Heading back on another beautiful trail

We headed back home to rest up for a bonus Camp Mom event: boating with our friends Bill, Laura, and Roxanne. When Stacey got home from work, we packed a lunch, and headed to the lake.

We found a calm, sunny place to drop anchor and we all got to take a dip. We only put Athena in for a moment so she could cool off. She wasn't too thrilled so the adults took turns holding her in the boat, relaxing on the water, and goofing off with the kids.

By the time we got home, Day 1 had been declared a success and we had three very sleepy kiddos . . . and two sleepy parents.

Stay tuned for Day 2.

Camp Mom 2010

A couple of weeks ago, I started planning a week of awesome outdoor activities for the kids and I to do together and I lovingly named this week Camp Mom. It would give us an opportunity to explore some places we don't normally explore in the Spokane area. We have visited many of the places before but this time around, I am giving us a lot of time for exploring and we're packing a lunch so we can have picnics everyday and not have to leave in search of food. And we can do it all for a fraction of what it would cost to send the kids to a day camp. Besides, why should they get to have all the fun?

Preparations and Materials

• T-shirts: I designed and ordered some Camp Mom shirts from Custom Ink. I know, I know. This is not an essential item but I knew the kids would get a kick out of them. 
• Places to go: I picked a few places to go that would keep us outdoors and having fun. After choosing the places, I also checked out some books so we could learn more about the things we would see.
• Backpacks and insulated lunch bags: I got these from Old Navy on sale for a great price. In each bag, I packed a change of clothes, swim suit, and towel. I also packed some drawing paper, crayons, and pencils for any impromptu art projects. And the library books we checked out. And, of course, a healthy lunch and plenty of water.
• Picnic Blanket
• Camera (I'm using my new iPhone 4; it takes awesome pics)

And that's it. Now we're ready for Camp Mom!

Summer Time! Weeks 5 & 6

Where is the time going? I can't believe it's been two weeks since I've posted anything. My only excuse is the weather has been awesome, Stacey was out of town for a week, and we've been doing swim lessons. So let me see if I can remember what we've been up to:

Home Ec
The kids are still putting away their own clothes but the problem seems to be with their mom actually running the laundry and folding the clothes. I have been so out of whack lately. I feel like everyting has taken a back seat but I'm not sure what's in the front seat. I did receive my Managers of Their Chores book and chore pack kit so I have been spending a lot of time putting that together. Meanwhile the kids are just helping out here and there.


Fun
Swim lessons and playing at the park. But mostly just swim lessons. By the time lessons are over, it is usually too hot to be out. But then by early evening we try to get out in the yard and run around a bit. The kids have been running around in the garden with Stacey. I like to think they're helping and learning something but I think they're just playing in the dirt. And that's fine too. 

This past Sunday, our friends who live down the street but we hardly ever see, invited us over for an impromptu BBQ. And I am so glad we were able to go. It was great to catch up and let the kids play and just relax for an evening. Actually, the wife in this couple, Laura, is my running buddy so we see each other quite often but that has been a recent development. Just our two families had not gotten together in, gosh, probably a couple of years.We had some great food and I had a couple of glasses of wine. Stacey had just returned from DC on Saturday morning and we had both been rather snippy the whole weekend. So getting out of the house and back in the company of our pals was a great way to recharge and put our snippiness aside. 

Projects
My husband helped me clean under our refrigerator, which has been on my list for months. It actually only took like 10 minutes. I don't know why I kept putting that off.

Mom's World
I have been feeling so stressed lately. I know why and I know what I need to do but I have a hard time being disciplined enough to do it. I am not getting enough sleep so I am feeling lazy during the day. And then I don't feel motivated to get anything done around the house so the house is messy and cluttered. The kids are getting into things that are left out, I get frustrated with the mess and the kids getting into things, and then my head explodes. Mostly, I have been up late planning for the upcoming year or planning Shannon's birthday party or planning for the next couple of weeks of summer. Also, Stacey was out of town for a week and things have just been off. Also, our weekends have been pretty packed lately so I feel like I need to use my nights to do things I didn't get done on the weekend. I haven't been keeping up with my own personal daily schedule either so that is throwing me off. It's so funny that I need structure to feel relaxed and at peace. You would think it would be the opposite.

The good news is, this week has been going well and very productive so stay tuned for Week 7.

The Family Tree

 

So here is the entire crew. Heather and her husband are all the way to the left with their four boys on the tree limb above them. Our family is clumped together next to them. Down in the front is Steffany and her husband. My mother in law is right above her and then my father in law above her, holding Steffany's daughter. To the right is Shala and her husband and their two daughters are in the center of the tree and their son is right above Shala. 

The couple that started it all. They have now been married for almost 44 years.

Shala's beautiful daughters and handsome son.

Mama and son                   -sigh- So grown up

Heather, her husband, and her crew of boys.

Steffany, her husband, and their daughter. 

Am I the only one disturbed by how crazy high in the air that little girl is?

All the grandkids in a tree and then with their grandparents.

 The troublemakers . . . er . . I mean . . . grandsons.

Stacey and his sisters

And you should know all of these people by now . . .