Visiting The Zoo in Winter

A friend of ours told me last fall that she was trying to get in a visit to the zoo before the weather turned cold. It seems that this southern zoo puts the animals into winter housing during the cooler months of the year. I had to laugh. I’ve seen elephants and giraffes walking around in the snow at both the Denver and Colorado Springs zoos. Our family has speculated on what these African animals must think of the snow and freezing temperatures. They seem to do fine though. The Colorado Springs zoo even has a record number of giraffe … Continue reading →

Getting Away as a Family

This past weekend our family visited the Rocky Mountain National Park. We try to get to the Rockies a couple of times a year. I call it getting my mountain fix. We almost always stay at the cabins at the YMCA Estes Park center. My husband and I have stayed there since before we had children. It’s a marvelous place for all ages. I call it summer camp for families. You can borrow all kinds of supplies like Frisbees, tennis rackets, clubs and balls for the putt-putt course, even daypacks for hiking. They also have activities for free or a … Continue reading →

Family Camping Fun

We just returned from our camping trip at the Great Sand Dunes National Park. And we are all quite sandy. Blowing sand got in our eyes, ears, hair, clothes and camera. Still, we had a great time. Sometimes people are amazed that we take the three kids and the dog camping. But I tell them camping with kids really isn’t hard. Kids seem to take to the wild quickly. They start playing with rocks and pine cones. They start trying to climb trees. And they start asking how far away they can explore. I’ve found that children do better on … Continue reading →

Fun at the Arcade

Most of the time I want family outings to have some educational moments. Today though we took our change jar and went to play at the Manitou Springs Penny Arcade. They have rooms and rooms of games. Some are very old and some are very up to date and modern. Some of the old games only cost a nickel or a dime. There’s an “English Football” game that is not electronic at all but has entirely mechanical works. And it costs a penny to play! One of my sons had great fun scoring goal after goal on me. We had … Continue reading →

One on One Time at the Grocery Store

For a few years, we traded off on which of our three sons got to come on the weekly trip to the grocery store with me. Now they are bigger and aren’t so interested. Sometimes my oldest will come with me if I’m going to the “big store” because he enjoys looking at the gourmet foods and exotic produce. And sometimes my 4th grade twins will want to go to make sure that I buy enough “real food”. Real food according to them is chips and cookies, not things to make dinner with. I loved having one on one time … Continue reading →

Farmer’s Market Fun

My family is excited that the summer farmer’s markets have opened. Going to the farmer’s market is one of our favorite summer family activities. I like that my children get to see real farm families at work. Many times the kids are offered a sample of watermelon, peaches, local honey, or flavored popcorn. And my kids love samples. I like that we are eating corn that was picked in the wee hours of the same morning, and that we are supporting local farmers. The farmer’s markets are great places for trading recipes, too. I love talking and eavesdropping as people … Continue reading →

Inside Fun for Hot Days

We’ve had a few very hot days in Colorado lately. While are summers are generally warm, they are usually not hot. In fact, most houses in our area don’t even have air conditioners. I know we are spoiled with our normally mild summers. Here are some fun inside ways to escape the summer heat, no matter where you live. Libraries – Summer programs at libraries offer all sorts of story times, puppet shows, movies, and craft projects. While the kids are being entertained their parents might even be able to browse through some books or magazines. Bookstores – Some of … Continue reading →

Fun on a Whim!

Surprise your kids with a spontaneous getaway! A couple months back I mentioned a terrific vacation planning idea utilized by my brother’s family – a spontaneous and surprise trip to Florida. While a four day, on-a-whim vacation is likely out of reach for many families, including my own, a surprise, unplanned day trip or exciting activity certainly need not be. The past three days included two of such adventurous for my gang. On Sunday morning, we decided to head north a couple hours and spend an afternoon in Lower Manhattan. The weather was picture perfect and we figured our toddler … Continue reading →

Picnic Fun

I love picnics. I love to eat outside. I sometimes drool over those beautiful picnics in magazines with the many courses of delicious foods spread out on a homemade quilt, real china plates, and lemonade sparkling in a glass pitcher. Our picnics aren’t fancy, though. In fact, now that I think about it, they are almost an excuse to be lazy. We often take our own food on outings to the zoo, amusement parks, hikes, and festivals. This saves us a lot of money, but also makes sure that the kids have something to eat besides french fries and soda. … Continue reading →