Family Hike

Twin Falls

I-90 Exit 34

Today we did a great hike with Tom's cousin Erik, who is visiting from D.C. This hike was a bit more lengthy than the last one we did but has a great destination spot. The Twin Falls at the top of the hike are spectacular with a bridge going above them for an amazing view (though a bit anxiety filled for mommy). The hike was 3.5 miles roundtrip with some decent hills and switchbacks to get to the top. The girls did well, but we did have a bit of whining and needed to give some incentives to keep them moving. A good portion of the hike follows the river for nice views and good rock throwing spots. Half-way up there is a great look-out spot of the falls and you can choose to turn around at this point.

Picnic Spot

Heading Home

More Photos

RainSticks

We had a good time this afternoon making some rainsticks. Madison's favorite part was definitely the hammering and Nora enjoyed pouring the filler inside.

Library Jackpot

Checkout this blog from a children's librarian in Wisconsin. I went through her April posting and reserved 10 books from the library to get delivered to our local branch. We were able to go pick them up on Thursday and are enjoying some new books and authors. It is always nice to get some new ideas on what to look for instead of aimlessly touring the library shelves with 2 girls, pulling you in 2 different directions asking you to read every book they pull off the shelf! And somehow they always seem to find the Clifford, Spot and Curious George ones!!! I was thrilled with our new selection and so were they!

anonymous posting now allowed

Just an FYI for all those readers who don't have an account with blogspot. You can now post a comment using the anonymous feature if you have something you want to tell me!!!!

Backyard Fun

A gorgeous Saturday was spent in the backyard for the majority of the day. It is truely amazing how much time 2 little girls can spend with 3 caterpillars (named KC, Buddy and Susy after the granparents' cats, still looking for 2 more to add the other grandparents' 2 cats into the mix). They giggled non-stop letting them crawl all over them and even set up an exercise course for the caterpillars to climb! The girls also had a great time rock painting in the tree house. And could you end the day any better than roasting marshmellows on the fire pit? I think not.

We can only hope for another perfect day tomorrow!

Lunchtime Favorite!

Sandwich Shish Kabobs

Ice Cream in a Bag

This is such a fun activity to do, especially on a warm day, which we got a few of this past weekend. We did this when a friend of Madison's came over for a playdate. Lots of giggles and smiles were involved!!! We also did this back in December in Madison's kindergarten class for the winter party and it was a big hit.

The Ingredients: 1/2 cup milk product (we used half and half but 2% works too!)

1 Tablespoon sugar

Flavoring (we used chocolate syrup, you can also use vanilla or any other flavoring that sounds good)

6 Tablespoons rock salt

Ice

You will also need sandwich and gallon sized ziploc bags and having some towels on hand is a good idea!

To start you will want to put the milk, sugar and flavoring into the sandwich sized ziploc bag. To make it easier for the kids to pour into the bag, I put the bags into an empty jar to help it stand up. I then seal the bag and put it into another sandwich sized bag. This helps ensure no salt leaks into the ice cream.

Put the sandwich bags into the gallon sized bag and add lots of ice and the rock salt and seal shut. Now the fun starts!!! Shake, rattle and roll the bag anyways you can think of. We ended up wrapping them up in towels like a tootsie roll and shaking and rolling them with that. The more you shake it up, the better!

And the end result!! Yummy ice cream (with a few sprinkles on top!!!).

I'm Featured!!!

Check out the Crafty Crow blog and you will find my crystal experiment!!!! This is a GREAT blog that links you to all sorts of other craftsy mommies and all the projects they are doing with their kiddos!

Family Hike Review

High Point at Tiger Mountain

Exit 20 off I-90

Today we went on a very nice family hike that would be a great hike for young children just starting to hike with the family. This was Nora's (3 year old) first hiking experience sans backpack or other transportation device. She did very well with only a few piggyback rides requested. So I would believe it if very doable for most of the 3-6 year old crowd. We hiked around 1.5 - 2 miles.

The main trail is very well maintained and even a jogging type stroller could manage on it quite nicely. There is no noticeable elevation gain. The vegetation varies from coniferous to decidious forests and there was a variety of wildflowers along the way to enjoy. There are nice interpretive signs along the way talking about vegetation, animals, and other sites. And along the footpath there are a few markers identifying different animal tracks (this did give my girls a false sense of hope of actually finding these prints and they were a bit disappointed with the outcome). There are ample amounts of benches along the way to stop of a break or a snack.

Our only real disappointment with this hike is that we took the extended lake loop path (this trail is a bit more rugged with some hills). It was a very hot day and we were looking forward to wading our feet and throwing some rocks in the water. But we discovered that there was no lake access and instead we were just teased by looking at the beautiful lake from a distance.

One other discovery we had dealt with parking. When we arrived people were parking along the road so we assumed the parking lot was full and parked on the road. The walk up to the trailhead was a bit long and noisy (following I-90) and when we arrived at the trailhead there were parking spots available. So now we know to always to drive to the trailhead first in hopes of parking and if there is nothing available Tom can drop us off and go park the car. This would make for an easier start to the hike.

Looking forward to many more hikes as spring has finally arrived!

What's blooming in May

Kool-Aid Playdough

I have made many different variations on play-dough and this is by far my favorite recipe. One thing I like about it, is that you don't have to cook it on the stove so it is alot easier for the kids to be involved. And the kool-aid makes the color wonderfully vibrant and makes the play-dough smell soooooo yummy (no harm if the kids take a taste, but they definitely won't do it twice!!). I have had no problem with the color ever rubbing off on anything and it lasts well if you remember to keep it sealed up!

RECIPE:

2 1/2 cups of flour

1/2 cup salt

1 tablespoon cream of tartar

2 packages dry unsweetened Kool-Aid

2 cups boiling water

3 tablespoons oil (I prefer olive oil to make smoother)

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Mix the liquids together and pour them over the dry ingredients. Stir the mixture until it forms a ball (LOVE the kitchen-aide for this part!!!!). As the mixture cools, it will become less sticky. After the mixture has cooled, take it out of the bowl and knead it until it is smooth.

We had fun taking kitchen utensils out to make different shapes and markings.

A perfect day

Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's in blog land. I had a perfect day today. I think the only way it could have been better was if the weather would have cooperated a bit more. I started the morning with a delicious breakfast in bed after sleeping in until 9:00. Tom and the girls delivered the yummy food along with wonderful gifts. I think my favorite was Nora's gift from Mom's Day Out. A cd jewel case turned into a picture frame and a picture she had drawn of "a whale with a polka-dot tail in the deep blue sea". Of course the scrapbook nook gift certificate will be well spent on some fun splurges and I love the music box that I can put my own photo in in the frame.

We then went on a fun shopping spree at the fabulous Covington Creek Nursery where I got some great plants to add to my front beds. We were able to get most planted before the rain showers arrived. I then sat and watched Tom cook a delicous steak dinner and we went out for ice cream dessert.

I hope that you all had your own perfect day!!!!

Books and Biscuits

The girls have been enjoying a recent book we checked out from the library called Sody Sallyratus. They have a recipe for baking soda biscuits, so we decided to make a batch for dinner tonight. I don't know if they were the best biscuits I have ever eaten, but put enough butter and honey on it and its all good. And we had a fun time with the process!

Etsy Purchase

My first official mail-order etsy purchase has been made! I have been eyeing the purses at aandvdesigns for weeks now and finally got the guts up to hit the purchase button. The hardest part was deciding which bag and fabric choice to get. I have a feeling, if I like it as much as I think I will, I will be ordering a second larger bag to add to my collection. Which one would YOU purchase???? I love the fabrics and basic designs of these purses. Now I just can't wait to have it in my hands!!!!! I'll let you know how it is, when it arrives!

Blowing Bubbles

M's new found talent!

Final Product

Thanks for all the suggestions. I added a little more ribbon, a bow and sprinkled a few jewels around, along with the tag on the handle and am happy with the finished result. I think I am going to work on making one in the next few days to send to my mom for Mother's Day filled with treats and goodies.