Fitting Exploration into Holiday Travel

(Warning: Photo Dump Below!)

Whew!  I think we've all recovered from the Fourth of July holiday!  We decided to make a trek up to my parents house  in Washington.  While we were out exploring, I told my husband that I didn't know how to work this into the blog, because I want to make sure that each post has something to offer you, the reader.  I just love his response: "Just share it!  Give encouragement to people to get outside and explore!"  I kinda, really love that man! =D

So without further ado, this is how our holiday travel went while enjoying some adventures, both outdoor and indoor. 

Day 1: The Drive:  So it doesn't take all day to drive up there, but it's 6-7 hours.  Given the time it takes to load and unload, it's basically a full day.  Thankfully now my little ones are doing so much better in the car, so we don't hear screaming the whole way.  When the fussing started, I'd just pull out another book, read it, then pass it back for them to re-peruse (lift the flap books are awesome!).  We'd try to take advantage of meals and gas stops to take a stretch break (or as the kids call them, shake breaks!)  Other than that, lots of dried fruit, I spy, singing and license plate tracking!   We got in with just enough time for the kids to play with a little, battery powered four-wheeler that my dad had received broken, but free and fixed it up.  That got the wiggles out!

Day 2: After a lazy morning, Josh and I borrowed my parents' jeep and headed up some mountain trails (holiday tip: you don't have to have/bring all the "toys."  Share and borrow what you can!)  It wasn't a clear day, but it was so gorgeous!  The ruggedness of the hills is so stark against all the foxglove blooming (my favorite!!!)  Josh was able to just reach out the door and pick me bouquets.

  We picked wild salmon berries and went for a small hike at the end of one of the trails.  At the very top we even ran in to another couple from Alaska, so naturally we had to stop and visit with them for a bit!

 

After we got back we loaded in the truck with my parents to hit the carnival.  Though it was a fairly small carnival, the kids were awestruck.  Our 5 year old enjoyed a few of the kiddie rides, but our 2 year old would only go on the carousel until we got to the Ferris Wheel.  Grandpa and Daddy went with them and even at the highest point you could see both of their faces beaming with delight and they excitedly waved to us every cycle!  What a treat! 

So fun to see familiar faces as well.  A former neighbor and her grown daughter also visiting from out of town, two mission trip coordinators and an former worship teammate let alone countless others that I couldn't quite place anymore. 

Day 3: My former church GAVE me a piano!  I'm so excited and grateful, but have no place to store it right now, so my dad is hanging on to it for me.  He, Josh, and my brothers moved it to their garage for now.  Boy, do I owe them cookies or what?  I just have to tease them that they'll forever be helping me move pianos!  (It may have happened a time or two before) 

First we had to stop by Wing's cabin and learn how the pot-bellied stove worked!

Ringing the church bell with Bampa

 Then the whole crew drove up to Bellingham to the Spark Museum.  If you ever get a chance, check it out.  A museum on the history of electricity, complete with a functioning Tesla Coil (I didn't remember what that was until we got there!)  I'm not a huge fan of electronics, but even I found much of this fascinating.  Just this history, if nothing else, and the beautiful detail they seemed to put into everything they did. 

We got back into town to visit my best friend from age 4 and her family and to barbeque and hang out in their new back yard.  Beautiful end to a busy day!  And I love that our kids feel like cousins!

Krista and I basically have this exact photo of us when we were this age!  Now it's our kids!

Day 4:  Church the next morning (same one I grew up in!) along with many more familiar faces.  Then lunch at the favorite spot  before the in-laws joined us for the logging show and chainsaw carving competition. 

Pole Climb

Day 5:  Independence Day!  Parade in the rain, then about 30 people came to the house for a get-together, fire crackers, and a ton of food.  Lots of playing in the  rain and dancing through the smoke! 

Day 6:  Home again, home again, jiggety jog.  When we hit bad traffic we just took old farm roads.  Better moving the long way through beautiful scenery than stuck in stress and traffic. 

I'm so grateful for my family, but I know for some staying with family can be a difficult time if they are not accustomed to spending much time outside.  I think, especially during a visit to see someone, relationships take priority.  Be with those you've come to be with.  But if the opportunity arises to get everyone out and see something new, maybe it could benefit all!

Beginning the Gardening Adventures (2016)

Daffodils blossom at the base of a fallen snag.

 

It really is February still, right!?  With this weather, I'd never guess!  On our trip to town this week the kids were hot and stripping off layers, begging to have the windows down in the truck!  We did and it felt SO lovely!  "May means maybe" (may still have more snow and freezing temps)  is what we were always told in AK, so this definite spring so early feels a little foreign yet!

Spring Queen

And things are blooming!  Daffodils and crocuses of course, but also camellias, violets, nettles, mock cherries, and several new to me as well!  So I began to think, "well, maybe I should be growing things now, too?"  And, though slightly early, when I looked at a planting chart for the area (great zoning and scheduling for US here) it could already be time to plant some of the seeds I had OUTSIDE!  I love it!  And I love how we can get hints about the timing of planting based on the wild things growing around us!

So my trusty helpers and I got everything together and got those seeds in some rich dark dirt. Mostly according to the directions, but  when your over-eager assistants are 2 and 4, the depth and spacing measurements are kinda out the window.  We'll see how things go!  This is my first year really trying a container garden, too!  My hope is that we'll be moving to our own plot of land by the end of harvest.  It may be a long stretch, but I can dream, right? =)



It's good to coat my hands in earth again!

So once we planted and "tucked in" our seeds (for whatever reason, burying them was too traumatic, so we just tucked them in their dirt beds and bid them a nice nap! =) ) it was time to water them.  Out came their water buckets and certainly washed away a section of our broccoli before it even had a chance!  I quickly stopped that method and we pulled a couple milk jugs out of the recycling bin. 

With a few holes hammered into the lids and filled with water, they made perfect watering cans for the little ones: a manageable size that only released a drizzle instead of a deluge of water at once!  Now we wait!  I can't wait to be growing our own food again!

Any hints for a new Oregon gardener  wannabe?  Every thing seems so simple here as a whole!  I'm comparing this to my Fairbanks garden where I had to dig several feet through peat moss to the permafrost, build a frame for my garden and line the bottom with 2" insulation, fill with dirt and surround with a fence to keep the arctic hares out all while fighting the swarms of mosquitos.  Then every year our neighborhood moose and her calf(s) would eat the majority before I could harvest it!  SO infuriating!  I've been told the deer are an issue here, and I remember the slugs; is there anything else I should be aware of?  I look forward to hearing your gardening adventures!

Get Out! 7 Ways to Help Parents Go Outside with their Children in Winter

Getting Outside: Parental Inspiration

 

Don’t you love all the inspiration online for things to do with kids outside! Places to go, things to see and even information on how important it is!  Then it’s 30 degrees (or less!) and all that great knowledge just doesn’t seem worth the effort to get out the door.  Although I wasn’t as regular about it as I ought to have been, my cut-off for taking the little ones outside was -20F (That’s about when it starts to hurt just to take a breath).  We walked our mile in some pretty cold temps, with the babies strapped onto me and so bundled they could hardly see!  As they got older they were moving and having so much fun, they become quite oblivious to the cold!  Now that we’re in more of the southern portion of the PNW, we’re dealing with the days on end of constant rain.  No, it’s not as cold, but it is a challenge of its own. 

Another member of an online moms group that I’m part of recently posed a question, and many more chimed in with similar issues.  Their children had plenty of motivation to get outside, but they were either too young or in an area where it was not safe for them to be outside by themselves. The moms were asking each other how they motivated themselves as parents to get out there!

I scrolled on at the time, but kept thinking about it through the day.  It can be hard sometimes, and often I am the biggest deterrent for my kids getting outside! Just because I don't want to get cold or wet?  I am so grateful that the place we are renting has enough land around it that I am fairly comfortable letting them play right outside the sliding doors where I can keep an eye on them.  At least for a short amount of time.  But inevitably they want to explore farther and farther or go to parks or hiking.   All of which I’m so glad they enjoy, except now I have to go out, too! =)

So I thought I’d share a couple things that get me going when I really just want to stay in. 

1.       Knowledge: being outside is good for all of us, despite the weather.  We will all be happier if we do it. 

2.       Proper attire: this doesn’t have to be expensive clothing in most cases, although in the negative degrees Fahrenheit, I did have a good winter jacket, long johns and boots.  But anywhere, the key to cold is layers.  Long johns or leggings under jeans, as many shirts as I can layer and still be able to move, a couple socks and you can withstand a lot, especially if you’re moving.   Even a couple extra layers under a rain coat and wellies (i.e. rain boots, splashing boots, mire boots, galoshes) can make you feel cozy despite the damp.  Just be sure to shed if you start getting too warm.  The survival mode in the back of my mind kicks in and reminds me that sweating in cold is BAD because now your under layers are wet.  When you stop exerting yourself, you’ll get REALLY cold!

3.       Ulterior Purpose: Get outdoor chores done while the little ones get their wiggles out.  If they’re having fun on their own, there’s always something I can get done while I’m out there, whether it’s just tidying up the yard or taking care of critters.  The ambitious side of me feels so satisfied when I can check some of those things off the list!  Or maybe this could mean making a phone call while they’re on a playground or just focusing on something they’re learning out on a hike.  On our last hike, we had just practiced writing the letter G, so while we were ascending, we set a goal of finding 25 things that started with that letter!  And we sort of count outside time as part of school.  They inevitably learn something every time they step out the door, and they definitely exercise, so I count it a win-win. 

4.       An excuse to ignore chores for a few minutes: this is such a horrible, procrastinator’s reason, but if I’m honest, the thought has crossed my mind a time or two.  And usually after I’ve had a little fresh air myself and listened to the little giggles and adventures, I’m in a much better mindset to get things done than before!

5.       Recruit others: I’m much better at sticking with a plan to get out somewhere if I know someone else is expecting to meet up with us.  And it sure helps to have another grown-up to share (and commiserate) the experience with, plus the littles are extra excited to see their friends!

6.       Go somewhere new: exploring a new trail or park always sounds better to me than just hanging out in our yard.  Although it is just that much extra effort and time, so this one is a little situational.  Or just go somewhere you already know you love!

7.       A piping hot mug of tea (or coffee if that’s your cup of tea.  Ha!)  This is probably my biggest help!  And now I’m going to spend too long telling you of my favorite travel mug from Contigo (Note: I am not being compensated at all for writing this, but I did obtain permission to use their name here).  I first realized what great mugs they were on a -30F morning if Fairbanks.  This is the type of temperature at which boiling water, if thrown into the air, will freeze before hitting the ground.  We rushed out the door to an indoor playground we were helping with, but not without my trusty cup of tea.  It was still too hot to sip on the drive down, and in the rush to get in, I left my mug in the car!  I was a little out of sorts the whole morning thinking about my lovely tea sitting out there in the cold, hoping that when it froze it didn’t damage the mug. Three hours later I came out to find my tea not frozen, but WARM still!  Not piping hot, granted, but still drinkably warm even after 3 hours in 30 below zero!  I also just love that the lid has two locks so I can let my little ones play with it and I don’t have to worry at all about it spilling.  A real life saver on some Sunday mornings in church when that’s ALL they want to play with to be semi-quiet.   It’s the right shape to fit in a cup holder, yet holds as much tea as my regular large mug.

 

Those are my biggest motivators, but I’m always up for more ideas!  I’d love to know what inspires you to get out with your little ones in bad weather! Would you comment your ideas below for others to share?

 

First-Time Tradition: Black Friday Family Hike

How was your Thanksgiving?  I feel like this was the best one we've had in a very long time.  We hosted for our families for the very first time this year! Being two thousand miles away certainly deters the frequent family visits! =)  But this year we had 16 people, four dogs and our two cats in our little mobile.  And it was so wonderful!  Not a perfect meal, but perfect time together.  

Not the purpose of this post, but a couple recipes we have for Thanksgiving that I love (and some were asking for) are the whole wheat rolls (shaped like these pumpkins if you have the time!) with French Cardamom Apple Jam, Balsamic Rosemary Ham, slow-cooker cranberry sauce, Broccoli Casserole (recipe to come) and Spiced Cider (this one is my husband's concoction and I'm hoping he'll let me share this one here soon, too!)

What I really want to write about is a new tradition we were able to start this year and I definitely want to uphold in future years: a Black Friday Hike!  While this may not have been feasible at our Fairbanks home, hiking in this mild climate’s November was refreshing!  After a bacon-and-eggs breakfast, all interested piled into a car and drove just down the road or the maze of trails at the arboretum. 

It was quite frosty, but only on the north side of the hills and became quite pleasant in the sun.  We just dressed in layers and I had room in my pack for all the extra layers as we hiked on the south side.  Another perk of having some grandparents along: extra arms to carry tuckered tykes! 

 We ended up hiking about 3 ½ miles, some of it quite steep, and I’m proud to say my eldest did it all on his own!  Boy, did they sleep good that night!

It felt like the perfect activity for the day after Thanksgiving as we were able to go out and explore together (hikes are much more fun for my little wildlings if the grandparents are along!) and we worked off some of the feast from the day before!  And I hate shopping, so that wasn’t even an option, anyway!  How do you celebrate Thanksgiving after the meal?  I love how each family does certain things to make the celebration uniquely theirs!